NRL Round 22 Preview - Eels v Dragons v ANZ Stadium

Parramatta Eels v St. George Illawarra Dragons at ANZ Stadium
 
Preview - The Dragons will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they visit the last placed Eels at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. The Dragons slumped to another alarming loss, this time to the Warriors 18-12 in Wollongong, as they failed to recover from a horrible first half which saw them trail 18-0. The Eels kept their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon alive with a convincing 28-12 victory over the Titans.
 
Parramatta Eels’ Scouting Report - Brad Arthur has shaken things up, despite the side’s big win over the Titans. Rookie Jaeman Salmon starts at five-eight, with Corey Norman moving to fullback, Clint Gutherson to centre, and Jarryd Hayne to the wing.  Bevan French is out with Will Smith returning on the bench. 
 
St. George Illawarra Dragons’ Scouting Report - The Dragons have lost veteran winger Jason Nightingale who is out injured. He is replaced on the wing by Nene Macdonald. Leeson Ah Mau starts at prop for Paul Vaughan who is expected to be out for at least 4 weeks. 
 
Verdict - Dragons by 1-8

I expect the Dragons to win, but the Eels will give them a real contest here. It was only a couple of months ago the Eels led the Dragons by 8 points, with 5 minutes to go at WIN Stadium, before conceding two late tries. However, this is simply a must win for the Dragons and, even though they look tired and in poor form, I think they will throw everything into winning this game to at least steady the ship.