The Dragons finished the season in fifth spot, so here are five reasons why I think they’ll knock over the Wests Tigers tonight
1) We’re back: As I said earlier this week, the best indicator of that was Mick Weyman chasing down Panthers centre Junior Vaivai last weekend in the 78th minute. The game was over and we had a 20-point lead but Weyman was giving it his all right to the end. He even got up at marker and then trailed the play on the next tackle as well.
This is a strong indicator that the players are in the strong defensive mindset they had at the start of the season, where they loathed anyone getting past them. Add to that the fact that the backs are really clicking with some incisive runs through and around defensive lines and the Dragons once again have the ability to score points and then defend them.
2) Tiger trouble: I watched the Tigers take on the Shark last weekend. Cronulla is not a renowned attacking unit and yet they managed to put 22 points past the Tigers. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Tiges made hard work of beating the Sharkies, only putting them away with a few minutes on the clock. If the Tigers struggled to overcome the Sharks, how will they manage against a much better attacking and defensive unit in the Dragons.
3) The ghosts of 2010: Much has been made of the Tigers wanting ‘‘revenge’’ for the the defeat at the hands of the Dragons in last year’s grand final qualifier. For mine, the Tigers are causing massive problems by dwelling on their 2010 finals campaign. As well as the one-point loss to the Dragons, they also got done by the Roosters 19-15 in golden point after blowing a 14 point lead. So that’s two games where, when the score got close, the Tigers lost. It tells me that, if the scores are tight late in this game, then the little voice in the back of the Tigers’ heads will be going ‘‘Oh, no. Here we go again’’. The Dragons, on the other hand, are used to playing tight games, so it won’t bother them.
4) The last game: People have pointed out that the last time the two teams met the Tigers won, as though that means they have the wood on us. Well, that’s not really how I saw that game. What I recall is that the Tigers matchwinning try didn’t come through any great skill or hard work. Instead, it came from an injury to Jamie Soward, which allowed the Tigers to break the defensive line. Having to rely on an opponent getting injured to find a gap isn’t a great look. Also, the Tigers were on a hot streak in that game, while the Dragons were in the middle of their slump (a week later, they’d be beaten by the damn Roosters, for Pete’s sake). And still, there were only two points in the game. Tonight the Dragons are a much better team than the one the Tigers only just beat a month ago.
5) The experience: Amazingly every member of the Dragons 17 has played finals footy before. That’s a record no other team can match. And then there’s the fact that everyone bar John Green has representative experience in either City-Country, Origin or Test matches. That experience in big games is invaluable in the finals.
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