Matchday Details
Saturday 4 April – 4:30pm (AEDT) – Jubilee Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Wyatt Raymond | Bunker: Adam Gee
Dragons
1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Christian Tuipulotu, 3. Moses Suli, 4. Valentine Holmes, 5. David Fale, 6. Lyhkan King-Togia, 7. Daniel Atkinson, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Toby Couchman, 11. Luciano Leilua, 12. Jaydn Su’A, 13. Hamish Stewart, 14. Jacob Liddle, 15. Blake Lawrie, 16. Jacob Halangahu, 17. Hame Sele, 18. Josh Kerr, 19. Tyrell Sloan, 20. Loko Pasifiki Tonga, 21. Kade Reed, 22. Setu Tu.
Cowboys
1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Braidon Burns, 3. Jaxson Purdue, 4. Tom Chester, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Jake Clifford, 7. Tom Dearden, 8. Coen Hess, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Jason Taumalolo, 11. Heilum Luki, 12. Sam McIntyre, 13. Reuben Cotter, 14. Soni Luke, 15. Griffin Neame, 16. Thomas Mikaele, 17. Matt Lodge, 18. Harrison Edwards, 19. Zac Laybutt, 20. Kai O’Donnell, 21. Kaiden Lahrs, 22. Robert Derby.
Match Preview
The second Saturday game of Round 5 kicks off in Kogarah, as the winless Dragons host the Cowboys. The Dragons are desperate for a win to avoid a 0-5 start, while the Cowboys are hoping to maintain their upward trajectory.
Anchored to the bottom of the ladder as the only winless team, the Dragons struggled in a 22-14 loss to the Titans last week. On the flip side, the Cowboys are brimming with confidence after snatching a comeback victory over the Storm, 28-24, in Townsville.
For the Dragons, Kyle Flanagan is out due to concussion, with Lyhkan King-Togia taking over at five-eighth in his absence. Moses Suli returns at centre, with Hayden Buchanan dropping out of the squad. Toby Couchman is also back after missing last week with concussion. David Fale makes his first start for the Dragons on the wing, replacing Tyrell Sloan, who drops to the reserves.
For the Cowboys, there are minimal changes, with Tom Chester returning from his suspension at centre and Zac Laybutt dropping back to the reserves. Harrison Edwards joins the six-man bench, with Kai O’Donnell and Liam Sutton also moving to the reserves.
The Dragons have not started a season 0-5 since the merger between Illawarra and St George, but they’re in real danger of copping their fifth straight loss this weekend. With Kyle Flanagan out, pressure will be on the new halves pairing of Daniel Atkinson and Lyhkan King-Togia to lead this side to a win. This will be the first game the two have played together at the top level, so expect some clunkiness to the Dragons attack as these two get accustomed to one another.
Elsewhere in the squad, Toby Couchman’s return can’t be understated. With the Cowboys’ middles finding form over the past two weeks, his presence – and ability to play big minutes – will be key to stopping the momentum the Cowboys can generate.
When it comes to the Cowboys, it’s safe to say no one expected them to beat the Storm last week. Finding form at home, they put together their first performance of the year where they fought until the 80th minute, which will be key to backing up that win again. Despite their form in Townsville, the Cowboys haven’t travelled well this year, losing in Las Vegas in Round 1 and at Leichhardt Oval in Round 2.
However, they’ll be buoyed by the recent form of Tom Dearden against the Dragons. He’s scored five tries in his last three games against them, and he’s got a dream matchup this week. He’ll be running at Lyhkan King-Togia and former teammate Luciano Leilua, a combination he’ll be looking to exploit. With the help of the hard-running Heilum Luki outside him, who scored a try of his own against the Storm, they’ll be a duo to watch.
The historical stats are also against the Dragons – they’ve lost their last eight NRL games, and the Cowboys have won the last six meetings between these two sides.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Cowboys by 6
Bold call: Tom Dearden will score two tries and get man of the match in a Cowboys win.
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