The Tigers and the Eels top the table after two rounds of NRL action and both teams are out to continue their early season form this week in NRL on Nine.
Live on Macca’s Thursday Night Footy tonight at 7.30pm AEDT, the Dragons face the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane – a daunting prospect despite thrashing them against the odds in the finals last season. After monstering the Cowboys last week, Tevita Pangai Jr is out to steamroll the Dragons pack while form centre Jack Bird does more damage out wide after finally hitting his straps for the Broncos.
The Dragons are 0-2 to start the season and will be on the skids if they lose. The pressure is on their much maligned playmaking trio of Gareth Widdop, Ben Hunt and Corey Norman to click.
Friday Night Footy promises fireworks as the revitalised Parramatta Eels butt heads with the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium. Blake Ferguson, the player of the round last week when he torched the Bulldogs, faces his former club for the first time since they hoisted the premiership trophy in 2018. The Roosters welcome back big-game player Jake Friend, while Matt Ikuvalu replaces Brett Morris who is out with a knee injury, and Cooper Cronk remains on the sidelines with a hamstring concern.
On Chemist Warehouse Sunday Footy, the struggling Bulldogs will have to prove themselves against the undefeated Tigers in a battle of first versus last. Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall are playing like it’s 2005 for the Tigers, when they led their team to a premiership.
Coach Dean Pay has made sweeping changes to the Bulldogs to find a winning formula. After showing improvement against the Eels in Round 2, his halves Lachlan Lewis and Kieran Foran need to capitalise, while the whole team must tighten up in defence against a ferocious Tigers attack.
