MATCH PREVIEW
Dragons v Raiders: Vaughan back from ban; Scott delay
Author
NRL.com
Timestamp
Mon 7 Sep 2020, 03:33 PM
With their finals hopes finally extinguished St George Illawarra can settle into the role of spoiler and first up in a three-leg gauntlet of finals contenders are Canberra.
The Dragons' failure to take their chances against the Cowboys on Sunday means that now not even the numbers add up so they will be playing for pride and to impress newly named 2021 head coach Anthony Griffin.
But, having briefly flirted with an unlikely late-season run at the top eight, things don't get any easier because after they host fifth-placed Canberra they are away to sixth-placed Newcastle and at home to second-placed Melbourne to round out the season.
The Raiders, who can't afford another stumble after dropping two points behind the fourth-placed Roosters, will want to make it count against the Dragons because they also face a challenging finish to the regular season against the Warriors and Sharks.
Match: Dragons v Raiders
Round 18 - Saturday 12th September
3:00pm
Home Team
Dragons
11th Position
Away Team
Raiders
5th Position
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Match broadcasters:
Fan Information
The rundown
Team news
Dragons: Prop Paul Vaughan (suspension) will be available while fellow forward Trent Merrin (hamstring) could also return. Interim coach Dean Young has the option to blood some youth now the finals are out of reach.
Raiders: Star front-rower Josh Papalii (shoulder) will be monitored and is a chance of playing after being cleared of serious injury. But centre Curtis Scott will have to wait another week before returning from a knee injury.
Corey Norman v Jack Wighton: Their 2020 numbers are remarkably similar given that both have solidified remarkably different perceptions - Wighton as the man who measures up in the big moments and Norman as a much less reliable playmaker when the pressure is on. The Raider has the advantage when it comes to tries (8-4), average run metres (102-84) and average kick meters (280-260 per game) while the Dragon has more forced dropouts (13-7) and offloads (7-3). He is also less effective in defence.
Stat attack
Canberra's injury woes have captured most of the attention but their struggles in attack could prove decisive when it comes to securing a top-four finish and, from there, how far they progress in the post-season. Only one other team in the top eight (Parramatta, 336) has scored less than the Raiders' 344 points and most of their serious finals rivals are around 100 points ahead in that category.
https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2020/09/08/dragons-v-raiders-vaughan-back-from-ban-scott-delay/