MAGIC ROUND: Melbourne v St Geo Illa preview

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Melbourne Storm v St George Illawarra Dragons Sunday 4:05pm at Suncorp Stadium, Milton / Yuggera-Turrbal

Magic Dragons to empty hat against depleted Storm

Often the premiership front runner, Craig Bellamy's Storm find themselves somewhat under the radar in third place behind the Panthers and Eels.

After a rusty 1-2 start to the season, Melbourne has rocketed back to form with six consecutive thumping victories. Since their round-3 loss to fellow grand finalists, the Panthers, Melbourne have been untouchable in compiling a formidable aggregate of 244-62 at an eye-watering 40-10 per match.

And with the Raiders, Broncos, Titans, Warriors and Tigers to follow this week's clash, there's a real possibility that following round 15 Melbourne will still have only tasted defeat twice.

But before they get ahead of themselves, first the Storm must conquer the Dragons minus the injured duo of Cameron Munster and Harry Grant as well as the suspended Brandon Smith.

Kenny Bromwich slots into hooker with Ryley Jacks named at No.6. But in a potential bonus, fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen's name on the extended bench indicates he's not far off returning from several weeks on the sidelines.

On the other side, St George Illawarra is a tough read. A shocking first half against the Bulldogs showcased the Dragons' ability to match the quality of their opponent. The points eventually flowed after halftime once Ben Hunt and Matt Dufty found their range.

A repeat of that effort won't cut it against the Storm. But as Anthony Griffin knows, on their day the Dragons are equally capable of rising alongside the best in the competition. Despite a perplexing inconsistency, the Dragons' round-5 demolition of the high flying Eels still ranks as one of the performances of the season.

Currently in sixth place, regardless of the result, this week's clash could prove pivotal in the Dragons' season. Following the intense effort against the Eels, Griffin struggled to re-stoke the fire and three successive losses followed.

How St George Illawarra rebound in the month after Magic Round against the struggling Sharks, Tigers, Broncos and Bulldogs could prove more telling than this week's result.

In team news, Mikaele Ravalawa returns on the wing in one of two Griffin changes that sees prop Poasa Faamausili named on the interchange.

Last meeting: Round 20 2020 - Dragons 30 Storm 22

Who to watch: Magic Round came a week early for Josh Addo-Carr. In bamboozling the Rabbitohs with a record six try blitz, the sneaky speedster increased his tally to nine tries from his last three outings. While much of the credit can be attributed to his creative teammates, the Foxx's nous still sees him finish what many can't. For the Dragons right edge, it means they'll need to be on high alert otherwise it could be another rout.

So much of the Dragons punch is driven by the diminutive Matt Dufty, so it's hard to fathom why the live wire fullback is yet to be signed beyond the end of 2021. Surely a repeat of his match winning performance against the heavyweight Eels should be enough for the Red-V junior to earn another contract.

The favourite: Even though the last six contests are split three each, Melbourne are short priced favourites to claim a seventh straight victory.

My tip: The Dragons rolled a depleted Storm last season and once again will look to take advantage in the absence of several big names. But even with their backs against the wall, Bellamy's tried and true systems with a sprinkling of class should still be too good for an inconsistent Red V. Melbourne by 10.

19. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. George Jennings 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 1. Nicholas Hynes 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 14. Tyson Smoothy 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 9. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane 6. Ryley Jacks 12. Tui Kamikamica 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 21. Dean Ieremia

1. Matthew Dufty 2. Cody Ramsey 3. Jack Bird 4. Tyrell Fuimaono 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Ben Hunt 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Kerr 12. Tariq Sims 13. Josh Mcguire 14. Max Feagai 14. Poasa Faamausili 15. Billy Burns 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Kaide Ellis

Referees: Peter Gough; Sideline Officials: Phil Henderson, Drew Oultram; Video Referees: Alan Shortall;