Why you must overload with Dragons players for clash with the Knights

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There are just six rounds of the regular NRL season remaining, and we are beginning to find out who will be competing for silverware later in 2017. The Newcastle Knights face the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 21, with the two clubs having very different things to play for heading into the season’s run-in, as eight places on the league ladder separate the rivals.

Newcastle are currently at the foot of the table, having picked up just two victories in 2017. Nathan Brown’s side will be desperate to finish the campaign strongly and avoid picking up the ‘wooden spoon’ for the third consecutive year.

The Knights are without a victory since their Round 10 triumph over the Canberra Raiders, and this weekend will come up against a St George side who are looking to keep a tight grip on their place in the top-eight, with Paul McGregor’s side currently eighth in the ladder.

St George are currently priced at 7/25 to take advantage of the Knights’ recent slump down the NRL ladder, whilst Brown’s team are a generous 16/5 to cause an upset against the in-form Dragons, with comparison sites such as Oddschecker providing a number of offers on the fixture.

Despite Newcastle’s poor form in the NRL this season, they still have players that St George will need to be wary of. CEOs will be aware of who the danger men are for Brown’s side, with Nathan Ross, who will be lining up at full-back, scoring high points on the average.

Although his best form comes on the wing, Ross will line up against the Dragons at full-back, where he has played in his last four outings. Ross has failed to score in his last four appearances, and his last tries came against this weekend’s opponents, when he scored a hat-trick in the 32-28 defeat in Round 16.

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The outside back is not just Newcastle’s most lethal finisher, he is also the club’s top metre eater with 2,436 and 11 metre eaters, making him a useful player for NRLCEOs.

Dane Gagai is also in Newcastle’s line-up for this weekend’s clash, with the Queensland back also one of the top metre eaters for Brown’s side gaining 2,171. Gagai has been unable to replicate Ross’ try scoring feats, but despite only crossing the whitewash twice in the NRL this season, the exciting outside back showed his class for Queensland in the State of Origin, scoring twice in game two.

Perhaps CEOs looking to include a player from the struggling Knights should look to their half-back partnership of Brock Lamb and Trent Hodkinson who would still be available in most leagues.

Lamb is the club’s top scorer this season with 54 points, scoring just two tries. However, his partner in the halves has been a lot more productive, particularly after missing large parts of the season.

Hodkinson has 52 points, which have mainly come through his 24 goals, but the 28-year-old has also proved to be the Knights’ creative cog, scoring one try and adding five try assists, including four from his last four appearances in the NRL.

Lamb and Hodkinson will come up against the NRL’s most in-form player this weekend, with St George’s Gareth Widdop in the form of his life heading into the season’s run-in.

The England stand-off is one of the NRL’s leading point scorers with 147 from the season and playing some of the best rugby of his career, which is ideal for the English national team, who will be looking to the Dragons’ creative cog at the World Cup later this year.

Widdop is an absolute must for CEOs to consider captaining, having scored ten tries already this season as well as adding an impressive 15 try assists, including seven from his last four appearances – making him the competition’s most influential player this year.

Perhaps one of Widdop’s finest displays this season came in last week’s exceptional 52-22 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles, with the Englishman running the show from the halves. Widdop kicked eight goals during the game, as well as scoring one try and grabbing two assists, in a real man-of-the-match display.

It is not just Widdop that CEOs  should consider captaining heading into Round 21, with Jason Nightingale also in exceptional form for the Dragons. The winger has scored 12 tries this season – including three in his last two appearances – making him the club’s top scorer in 2017.

The New Zealander has also made a mammoth 2,422 metres from 263 carries, giving him an average gain of 9.2 metres and three metre eaters for the seasn. Nightingale’s fellow winger, Nane Macdonald, has made the most metres for the Dragons this season with 2,538 from 257 carries, giving him an average gain of 9.87 metres and six metre eaters.

Macdonald also offers a scoring threat, and despite not been quite as prolific as Nightingale on the opposite wing, he still has five tries to his name this season.

The Knights will be desperate to avenge the 32-28 defeat that the Dragons handed them in Round 16, but more important to Brown’s side will be giving themselves the best possible chance of avoiding the wooden spoon. However, they face a difficult task, with St George heading into Round 21 in exceptional form, with Widdop mesmerising anybody standing in his way.

CEOs will be looking at this fixture and taking the safe and sensible option by including Widdop in their team, with the hope he can continue his good form against the NRL’s bottom side. There is also good reason to include Nightingale in any team, whilst his fellow winger, Macdonald, could also do some damage to the opposition.