NRLW Roosters v Dragons preview

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Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons Saturday 5:10pm at Sydney Football Stadium (1988-2018), Moore Park / Gadigal

An underwhelming first two weeks has seen the Sydney Roosters have a must-win clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons if they want to make the first ever NRLW grand final whilst a win for the Dragons could lock in their grand final spot.

The Roosters were one of the two teams expected to be in the grand final but the season hasn't gone to plan thus far with defeats against the Warriors and Broncos. They were tipped to take out the first NRLW match against the Warriors at ANZ Stadium, however wet conditions didn't help them and the women from across the Tasman were able to hold onto a 10-4 victory. Last weekend, the Tricolours were able to match with the Broncos through the bulk of the first half and looked to have opened the scoring only, to be denied by the bunker. Their errors began to catch up with them and Brisbane were able to open up an unsurmountable 14-0 lead and again the Roosters could only manage the one try.

Disappointingly to date, the girls in the red white and blue were tipped to be the best attacking side in the league with the likes of Isabelle Kelly and Maddie Studdon leading the attack - however that attack has lacked any real danger for their opposition with just one try scored in each game. The Roosters have had a very running-focused game thus far and they lead the competition for the most runs, however the tactic hasn't seemingly worked with the most metres gained in the competition. Their defence, however, has been a plus - having made the most tackles with 464 thus far in the competition.

St George Illawarra have started the NRLW in mixed fashion - with a big loss against the Broncos in Round 1 where despite a spirited effort the Dragons were outplayed by a more experienced side. Last week the Red V were quickly able to turn defence into attack with two early long-range tries against the Warriors which took them to 10-0 lead and set up a big platform. They put the game beyond doubt after half time with a third try, and would be happy with the improvement in their defence after holding out a Warriors side looking to make a comeback, the two tries they conceded being supremely unlucky with a bad bounce and a call based off "insufficient evidence".

The Dragons have the least star-studded team of the competition but it hasn't been a downfall for the Red V who have put in two gutsy performances, even with the big loss in Round 1 against Brisbane. The impressive part for them is that some of their lesser known players have quickly become household names such as winger Jess Sergis. The Dragons have little issue going forward in their two games and lead the metres gained with 2,231m for the season and they have also had the best completion rate in the competition.

Who to watch: Lavinia O'Mealey - The NSW representative has been a vital cog in the halves for the Roosters and with Maddie Studdon named on the bench, Saturday's game is a vital time for O'Mealey to stand up. The Roosters five-eighth has had a somewhat quiet two games so far in the NRLW but does posses the ability to spark something out of nothing. O'Mealey has run for 67m in two games but has stood up in defence with 33 tackles.

Honey Hireme - The Dragons veteran centre is a star across both Rugby League and Rugby Union having represented New Zealand in both codes. The performances that Hireme has put in this season has belied her age with explosive speed and strength. The Hireme power is on show with 15 tackle breaks across the two games which included 11 in round 1 against the Broncos.

My tip: This is a game that could go either way, the Roosters have so much quality all over the park which means you can never write off the likes of Maddie Studdon, Isabelle Kelly and Ruan Sims but their performances haven't been at their peak. The Dragons will have confidence knowing that a win could potentially lock in their grand final spot. This is a game that even writing the preview I didn't want to settle on the tip because there are so many positives for both sides. The confidence of the Dragons and the desperation to get to the grand final should see them get home in the closest game of the season. Dragons by 2.

1. Karina Brown 2. Brydie Parker 3. Shontelle Stowers 4. Isabelle Kelly 5. Taleena Simon 6. Lavina O'mealey 7. Zahara Temara 8. Ruan Sims 9. Nita Maynard 10. Elianna Walton 11. Tazmin Gray 12. Vanessa Foliaki 13. Simaima Taufa 15. Sarah Togatuki 17. Victoria Latu 19. Kandy Kennedy 21. Kylie Hilder

4. Honey Hireme 2. Rikeya Horne 3. Jessica Sergis 15. Hannah Southwell 5. Shakiah Tungai 6. Keeley Davis 7. Raecene Mcgregor 18. Asipau Mafi 9. Anneka Stephens 14. Holli Wheeler 11. Kezie Apps 12. Talesha Quinn 13. Annette Brander 8. Oneata Schwalger 16. Teina Clark 17. Melanie Howard 19. Kate Haren

Referees: Jon Stone, Kasey Badger; Sideline Officials: Joshua McGowan, Andrew Gilchrist; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Alan Shortall;