Dragons v Roosters preview

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Sydney Roosters Saturday 7:35pm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Carlton / Bidjigal

Top-two finish the goal as Roosters battle down and out Dragons

While the Dragons faithful would love more than anything else to upset the defending premiers this week, recent performances suggest the chances of that happening are slim.

It is hard to get a read on Paul McGregor's men after last week's effort. They defended bravely against the Sharks but were also guilty of making far too many errors.

It meant that they fell short in a game that most teams otherwise would have won.

With no risk of collecting the wooden spoon and no chance of making the top eight, they have nothing but pride to play for.

But their most recent home crowd of just over 6,000 people against the Titans suggests that they may again find themselves playing in front of only the most loyal of Dragons fans.

McGregor has made changes this week though, starting Jackson Ford and dropping Mikaele Ravalawa in favour of Jonus Pearson.

So potentially they could get something out of the final few rounds of the season. Although if that was the case, surely it would include giving other impressive youngsters like Tristan Sailor and Lachlan Timm a run?

There's still no Boyd Cordner for the Roosters but they continue to go about their business, last week demolishing the Warriors 42-6.

It was quite the warning to the rest of the competition given they were only up by six points at the break before turning it on in the second half.

With a two-point gap between them and the third-placed Raiders, the Roosters just have to keep winning to guarantee a home final in week one.

The minor premiership is out of reach given Melbourne's relatively soft run home but a third-place finish and trip to the nation's capital is certainly not ideal.

Having timed their run to perfection last year, the Roosters look to be doing the same once more and can further prove that point with another big win on Saturday.

Last meeting: Round 7 2019 - Roosters 20 Dragons 10

Who to watch: For the home side, any chance of them emerging victorious rests on giving early ball to edge forward Luciano Leilua. While it may not pay off all the time, Leilua looks dangerous most times he touches the footy, primarily due to his great footwork and late offloads. In a side struggling for confidence, Leilua needs to know that he can back himself and his natural ability, especially against a strong defensive unit like the Roosters.

Look for James Tedesco to terrorise the Dragons edge defence on Saturday night. While they may possess a strong forward pack, the Dragons outside backs will have a lot of strike players to contain. The likes of Latrell Mitchell and Daniel Tupou are strongest when playing off the back of a tackle-breaking Tedesco. With a dangerous passing and running game, Tedesco has a variety of skills to bring about indecision in opposition defence which can spell trouble.

The favourite: The Roosters are strong favourites to continue their charge towards September.

My tip: The Tricolours will challenge the Dragons in attack a lot more than Cronulla. This could get ugly fast if complacency isn't an issue. Sydney Roosters by 24.

1. Corey Norman 2. Zac Lomax 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Jonus Pearson 6. Gareth Widdop 18. Tristan Sailor 8. James Graham 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Jackson Ford 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jeremy Latimore 15. Korbin Sims 16. Blake Lawrie 20. Jacob Host

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 20. Billy Smith 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Isaac Liu 11. Angus Crichton 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Victor Radley 14. Nat Butcher 15. Zane Tetevano 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho 18. Lindsay Collins

Referees: Chris Sutton, Belinda Sharpe; Sideline Officials: Nick Morel, Mark Bohan; Video Referees: Steve Clark, Bryan Norrie;