MATCH PREVIEW
Dragons v Bulldogs: Round 5 preview
Author
NRL.com
Timestamp
Tue 9 Apr 2019, 09:01 AM
Corey Norman might not be everyone's cup of tea but you can't say he shies away in big moments.
For the second game in a row, Norman wanted the ball in his hands in crunch time, kicking the Dragons to victory with a clutch golden point field goal.
Paul McGregor hopes his team already has the game put to bed well before the 80th minute on Sunday, but the Dragons can forget about an easy ride against the Bulldogs.
The Doggies were oh-so-close to causing a shocking boil-over last week against Melbourne and Dean Pay deserves credit for shaping this team into a competitive outfit.
Match: Dragons v Bulldogs
Round 5 - Sunday 14th April
4:05pm
Home Team
Dragons
10th Position
Away Team
Bulldogs
14th Position
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Match broadcasters:
- Nine Network
- Fox League
- LIVE PASS
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The Rundown
Key match-up
Josh Jackson and Tyson Frizell are different types of backrowers but both are hugely important to their respective teams. Origin incumbent Frizell successfully returned last week after a two-week injury absence, while former Origin rep Jackson is still one of the toughest pound for pound players in the game. Both need to feature prominently on Sunday.
For the Dragons to win
The good thing for McGregor is that he shouldn't have to convince his players about the dangers of underestimating the Dogs after their assertive display against the Storm. If Ben Hunt can play as well as he did against the Broncos in round three the Dragons should be too strong at home.
For the Bulldogs to win
No Kieran Foran and they lost Dylan Napa to an injury after 16 minutes - yet the Doggies soldiered on and still nearly upset the Storm. They can't afford a mental let-down on Sunday against a team that has built confidence over the past fortnight. They need to defend as well as they did against Melbourne, especially against the likes of Norman, Hunt and Matt Dufty.
Brett Kimmorley says
Canterbury have shown they can compete again. They were desperately unlucky to get beat by Melbourne last week. Sometimes that can deflate you, at other times it can make you keep pushing ahead. For the Dragons, Corey Norman has found his niche. Before the comp started I felt Corey Norman was the best purchase of the off-season. In the last two weeks he is living up to that.
Dragons by 6
Dragons Stat Attack
The Dragons are first in the NRL in decoy runs (216), second in tackle breaks (144) and equal-third in line breaks (16). They also rank second in total kick metres (2,553).
Bulldogs Stat Attack
The Bulldogs are the NRL's top team in completion rate (84%), off-loads (58) and total kick metres (2,661). Kerrod Holland is the league leader for off-loads (17), while Lachlan Lewis is tops in kick metres (1,703) and Will Hopoate is first in runs (83).
And another thing ...
Had to feel for Rhyse Martin after his missed conversion in the dying moments allowed the Storm to escape with an 18-16 round four victory. Martin had been successful with 41 of his 46 previous attempts dating back to last year. Unfortunately for the Dogs he missed a big one last Sunday - and that was after nailing his first two shots from out wide in the first half.
https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/04/09/dragons-v-bulldogs-round-5-preview/
