RUGBY LEAGUE
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They were tipped to be at complete opposite ends of the ladder by round eight of the NRL season but traditional rivals the Roosters and the Dragons have undergone a dramatic role reversal heading into their annual Anzac Day clash.
The Roosters carried premiership favouritism into the 2015 season while the Dragons were widely tipped to be in a battle to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
The Roosters are yet to relinquish their premiership favouritism in the eyes of punters but will head into Saturday's clash on the back of three straight losses and in desperate need of a win to avoid dropping out of the top eight.
The Dragons, who blew out to $151 in premiership betting after opening their season with two straight losses, are sitting pretty in second spot and will be chasing their sixth straight win.
They've also stolen the Roosters' long-held mantle as the competition's best defensive outfit, having conceded just 74 points for the season - 30 points less than their nearest rivals, Melbourne.
However, Saturday's fixture shapes as the biggest test of the Dragons' newly minted defensive credentials as they look to put the clamp on the most potent attacking unit in the NRL.
Coach Paul McGregor named an unchanged line-up following the Dragons' 12-10 win over Brisbane last week, with Drew Hutchison and Kiti Glymin added to an extended bench. Five-eighth Gareth Widdop said his side will enter the blockbuster at Allianz Stadium high on confidence after a tense come from behind victory over the Broncos.
"It wasn't the best performance [against Brisbane], it was a bit scrappy at times, but we got the win," Widdop said.
"When you've got confidence and you're winning you back yourselves when you get in that grind.
"It gives you that belief and you know you can win the tough battles.
"We put ourselves under enormous pressure in the back end of the second half but we stuck to our guns, defended well and came out on top.
"It was certainly a tough one but in the end two points is two points and to get home in a close one gives us a lot of confidence."
While the Dragons have built their winning streak on defence, skipper Ben Creagh - who makes his 250th NRL appearance from the interchange bench - said composure in attack was the final piece of the puzzle.
'The commitment the guys are showing one another at the moment - especially on the try line - is fantastic ... there's a lot of belief there," Creagh said.
"Guys are 'turning up' from all over the park which is really good.
"We're just missing one element of our game and that's discipline in attack. If we get that right, hopefully we can score a few more points."