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This week, league writer CAMERON MEE and sports editor TIM BARROW consider how the Dragons will handle the mass suspensions, from the Shellharbour Covid lockdown house party, to stay in the finals hunt and whether NSW will make it a State of Origin clean sweep.
Barrow: They could sink like a stone, the Dragons.
A game inside the top eight, but hardly setting the NRL alight in terms of form, they now have to manage a team's worth of one-game suspensions in the next month for having a beer at Paul Vaughan's place during lockdown.
Let alone the impact it's had on the squad, given Vaughan's been sacked, Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro's refusal to sign the sworn statement, to allow them back into the NRL bubble and half of the players weren't there, but now have to deal with the fall-out.
We've seen the extraordinary community and fan response, but how can they possibly hold it all together now and keep their finals hopes alive?
Mee: It's one of the big unknowns in this situation. The players are saying all the right things publicly, telling us there's no split in the group and they're united in their chase of a top-eight spot.
But we won't really know how united they are until they step out on the field on Friday night.
The next month will make or break this Dragons team.
Their performances in recent weeks have been hardly inspiring and now they have to relocate to Brisbane for an indefinite amount of time and juggle the suspensions of 12 players.
Top teams are able to use a camp away to bond and come together, like the Storm did last year. I have little confidence St George Illawarra will have the same response.
With Manly, the Gold Coast, South Sydney and Canberra coming up, how many wins should we consider a pass mark for the Dragons?
Barrow: One. Even one win - and the Gold Coast game is the obvious target - would offer them some hope of making a run at the top eight.
If Tom Trbojevic is too sore or picks up an injury on Wednesday night - and hopefully not because he's been outstanding for NSW and deserves the chance to finish the series in style - then it does offer a glimmer of hope for the Dragons on Friday.
Manly have looked like two totally different teams at times this season, depending on whether or not Trbojevic is playing.
And the Sea Eagles are two points ahead of the Dragons, so it's a crucial contest in the context of the season.
But don't forget, St George Illawarra will play Penrith, the Roosters and also Souths again in the last month before finals.
They're in huge trouble.
Coach Anthony Griffin should be absolutely seething, especially when he specifically reminded them of their biosecurity obligations after the win over the Warriors.
The entire competition is relying on these blokes doing the right thing.
It's a good point about the Queensland hub, one thing I noticed about the AFL hubs last year was how some teams clearly found a way to adapt and thrive, while others really struggled being away from home for so long.
Matt Dufty was offered an NRL lifeline for next year by the Bulldogs, do you think it's a good move?
Mee: It's not a bad move, but I don't think Dufty is the answer for the Dogs.
They've signed him on a one-year deal, so the risk is relatively low, however the fact no other club was willing to offer him a contract is quite telling about how he's viewed around the league.
St George Illawarra were heavily criticised when they announced he would not be getting a new deal and it's easy to see why, based on the brilliance Dufty can produce in attack. It's a different story in defence, he has regularly struggled with both positioning and tackling, a situation that frustrated ex-coach Paul McGregor and Griffn.
The Bulldogs are multiple years away from being a title contender, so maybe Dufty will play well for a year, do a solid job and keep the seat warm until they find their long-term fullback.
I don't believe he's the man who will spark an immediate revival, even with Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton and Nick Cotric around him.
Speaking of Addo-Carr, he will don the sky blue jersey and represent NSW in the third State of Origin clash on Wednesday night.
The Blues are seeking just their fourth clean sweep and with convincing wins over Queensland in the first two matches, it seems likely that Brad Fittler's side makes it three in a row.
Is that what we should expect on Wednesday or should we be bracing for a Queensland ambush on the Gold Coast?
Barrow: If the ambush was coming, it was going to happen in game two.
They're cooked, Queensland.
We've seen Jai Arrow bring a "dancer" into camp, further undermining rugby league's standing with government and health officials to keep the game going.
Paul Green is under huge pressure and handled questions about Arrow's actions in bizarre fashion, by deflecting it to the NRL and walking off from the press conference.
It may be an attempt at providing a siege mentality for Queensland in game three, but it also shows how badly the Maroons are straining under the pressure.
And hopefully the words from Fittler and Andrew Johns, about the importance of making it a clean sweep, sink in for the Blues players about what an opportunity this is.
It not only puts them in rarified air, but sets them up to build a dynasty of their own, after NSW fell flat on their face last year.
They need 28 points to finish with 104 for the series, which would match the Blues of 2000, where Ryan Girdler scored three tries and kicked 10 goals in the third game, to complete a clean sweep.
A generation of NSW supporters grew up barely knowing what it was like to win State of Origin, now it's payback time.
If Origin is dead, then long live Origin.
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