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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ls-offload-kings/story-e6frexnr-1225871724017
Dragons to target Eels offload kings
Spark ... Feleti Mateo. Source: The Daily Telegraph
PARRAMATTA offload kings Feleti Mateo and Nathan Cayless will be targeted by St George Illawarra on Friday night as the Dragons look to continue their dominance over last year's finals nemesis.
With both sides sweating on the return of eight Origin stars for Friday night's game at WIN Jubilee, the Dragons have the cross-hairs trained on the Eels duo, whose offloads in traffic shape as one of the major threats to the competition's best-drilled defence.
Mateo has risen from an early-season slumber in recent weeks with his move to the Warriors next year finalised and Wayne Bennett's men are wary of the danger the Eels lock poses.
"They play off the back of one or two - obviously Feleti is one of their stand-outs in that area, [Jarryd] Hayne is a stand-out in as well and Cayless [is the other]," Dragons winger Jason Nightingale said.
"It's just the majority of their team that have offloads in them and at certain times they are able to bring that out. But if you stop the first pass none of that stuff happens and it's just about locking the ball up in the first place and being good on first contact - otherwise they get a bit of momentum and play well off the back of that."
The Dragons and Eels enter Friday desperate to avoid back-to-back defeats after losses to Canberra and Cronulla last week and the job will only be made tougher with the absence of the Origin stars from training this week.
With Brett Morris, Matt Cooper, Ben Creagh, Michael Weyman, Darius Boyd and Neville Costigan involved, Nightingale said Wayne Bennett expects up to two of his stars to pull out, while the Eels will be wanting Blues pair Hayne and Timana Tahu.
Dragons to target Eels offload kings
Spark ... Feleti Mateo. Source: The Daily Telegraph
PARRAMATTA offload kings Feleti Mateo and Nathan Cayless will be targeted by St George Illawarra on Friday night as the Dragons look to continue their dominance over last year's finals nemesis.
With both sides sweating on the return of eight Origin stars for Friday night's game at WIN Jubilee, the Dragons have the cross-hairs trained on the Eels duo, whose offloads in traffic shape as one of the major threats to the competition's best-drilled defence.
Mateo has risen from an early-season slumber in recent weeks with his move to the Warriors next year finalised and Wayne Bennett's men are wary of the danger the Eels lock poses.
"They play off the back of one or two - obviously Feleti is one of their stand-outs in that area, [Jarryd] Hayne is a stand-out in as well and Cayless [is the other]," Dragons winger Jason Nightingale said.
"It's just the majority of their team that have offloads in them and at certain times they are able to bring that out. But if you stop the first pass none of that stuff happens and it's just about locking the ball up in the first place and being good on first contact - otherwise they get a bit of momentum and play well off the back of that."
The Dragons and Eels enter Friday desperate to avoid back-to-back defeats after losses to Canberra and Cronulla last week and the job will only be made tougher with the absence of the Origin stars from training this week.
With Brett Morris, Matt Cooper, Ben Creagh, Michael Weyman, Darius Boyd and Neville Costigan involved, Nightingale said Wayne Bennett expects up to two of his stars to pull out, while the Eels will be wanting Blues pair Hayne and Timana Tahu.
