NRL 2020 – St George Illawarra Dragons v Canterbury Bulldogs: Round 10 preview – NRL.COM

St George Illawarra enter their WIN Stadium clash with Canterbury on a rising trajectory as they seek revenge on the Bulldogs for a round four thumping that capped a dismal 0-4 start to 2020.
Since that 22-2 Bankwest belting at the hands of their fellow strugglers, Canterbury’s only win so far, the Dragons have turned their season around with three wins in five outings to sit just two points behind a three-way tie for eighth place.
In that time they have lost only to last season’s grand finalists the Roosters (26-12) and the Raiders (22-16) and registered their most impressive win of the season on Sunday, an emphatic 34-4 thumping of Manly.
Canterbury, in contrast, reaped nothing from that round four clash beyond the two points. Things have gone from bad to worse during a five-game losing skid which plumbed new depths in an error-ridden performance on Saturday which allowed former partners-in-misery Brisbane to snap their own six-game run of futility.
Team news
Dragons: Winger Jordan Pereira is facing another suspension. If hes rubbed out, Jason Saab would likely replace him again. Brayden Wiliame is close to returning from a calf injury but hell find it hard to break into the side with centres Zac Lomax and Euan Aitken performing well. Jacob Host could come into selection calculations after being sidelined with a hamstring injury. Coach Paul McGregor confirmed hell keep Ben Hunt starting at hooker and Cameron McInnes at lock.
Bulldogs: Jake Averillo is unavailable after being quarantined due to an inadvertent COVID-19 protocol breach.
Key match-up
Matt Dufty v Dallin Watene-Zelezniak: The diminutive Dufty has been a revelation for St George Illawarra, his speed and incisiveness playing a key role in igniting the Dragons’ resurgent attack. Watene-Zelezniak, on the other hand, has failed to provide any spark when handed the No.1 jumper, leading the league in errors (19) and handling errors (18). The Bulldogs custodian has just one try to his name this year (and only three over his past 34 games) against Dufty’s 2020 tally of six.
Stat Attack
The Bulldogs’ woes can be attributed in large part to their NRL-worst attack which has produced a meagre 94 points through nine rounds, their 16 tries lagging 10 behind 11th ranked St George Illawarra’s 26.

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