Round 25 NRL Preview: Vodafone Warriors v Dragons

ROUND 25 GAME PREVIEW

VODAFONE WARRIORS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Round 24, 2012 NRL Premiership
Saturday, August 25, 2012
NRL Kick-Off 5:30pm, NYC Kick-Off 3:15pm
WIN Stadium.
Referees: Jared Maxwell/Adam Gee

Coming In To Round 25
Vodafone Warriors are 0-4 in their last four games, and are coming off a 18-16 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
They have averaged 13.5 ppg since Round 21, and have conceded 34.8 ppg in that period.
They sit 13th on the competition ladder, 6 points out of the top eight.
St George Illawarra Dragons are 1-3 in their last four games, and are coming off a 32-22 loss to the cowboys.
They have averaged 17.5 ppg since Round 21, and have conceded 24.5 ppg in that period.
They sit 12th on the competition ladder, four points out of the top eight.

Last Time They Met
Round 25, 2011 - Watch game highlights of the Warriors v Dragons last season.
Last 10 Games - Vodafone Warriors 1, Dragons 9.
The Warriors will be looking to turn around a tough recent run with their first win ever against the Dragons in Wollongong.

Team Changes and Late Mail
Find all the Warriors Team and Injury News from Tuesday and full Round 25 Lineup here.

VODAFONE WARRIORS
C Tuimavave, B Tupou, B Henry, L Brown, M Vatuvei (c), J Maloney, S Johnson, R Packer, P Godinet, J Lillyman, F Mateo, E Taylor, M Luck.
Bench: A Mara, U Ta'ai, Sione Lousi, S Ikahihifo, K Hurrell.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
J Nightingale, B Morris, C Stanley, M Cooper, D Vidot, J Soward, B Hornby (c), D Hunt, M Rein, T Merrin, M Prior, B Creagh, D Young.
Bench: J Miller, L Ah Mau, W Matthews, J de Belin, J Stockwell.

Bottom Line

With new coach Tony Iro at the helm, the Vodafone Warriors will be looking to get back to their winning ways against the Dragons on Saturday evening.

Having never beaten the Dragons in Wollongong, a revamped and motivated Vodafone Warriors side will be looking to finish out the season in style, with their trademark attacking style football set to thrill the south coast crowd.

Unfortunately for the Vodafone Warriors, hooker Nathan Friend will join captain Simon Mannering on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder last weekend. However, Konrad Hurell has been named on the bench in a boost for the team after playing in the NSW Cup in Round 24.

Pita Godinet will get his chance to start at hooker, with the service he provides the likes of Shaun Johnson and James Maloney essential, as they focus their raids around the Dragons edge.

Also coming off a loss, the Dragons will look to finish the year on a high, with the retirement of skipper Ben Hornby providing added motivation to the men in the Red V. Not known for their attack, the Dragons will look to their defence to stop the attack-oriented Warriors, making for an extremely interesting encounter.

Overall, this match has the potential to be one of the best games of Round 25. A new phase begins for the Warriors, while an old veteran leaves WIN Stadium for the last time for the Dragons, expect plenty of action from both sides in this penultimate match.

How do you see the Warriors v Dragons playing out this Saturday? Will you be there? Let us know in the comments below.