The Dragons are gearing up for their final home game of the season against a Wests Tigers outfit flying high with rejuvenated finals hopes.
Overall, the Dragons have played the Tigers on 36 occasions, with the Dragons winning 20 and the Tigers claiming 16.
Sunday's match will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a venue which bodes well in the Dragons' favour. The Tigers have just one win in five attempts at the SCG, while the Dragons have won eight of 13 matches at the venue.
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Fresh off a 42-point victory last week, the Tigers attack is primed to take on the Dragons. But despite owning a better attacking ranking (9th) than the Dragons (12th), Paul McGregor's men trump the Tigers in many offensive areas.
The Dragons have more line breaks (92) compared to the Tigers (83) and have also busted more tackles (542 to 524).
The Tigers are however the competition leaders in forced dropouts (51), a long stretch away from the Dragons (32). Coincidentally, the Dragons are second in the league for in-goal escapes, setting up a good battle.
"It was a surreal feeling" - Tristan Sailor
Danger man
Luke Brooks
At just 24 years of age, Luke Brooks has become the primary man in the Wests Tigers' attack with 129 appearances under his belt and list of representative honours.
So far in 2019, Brooks has lead the charge with the most try assists for his club (22). He also leads the NRL in line engagement (184) and added eight tackle breaks and two try assist to his tally last round.
As a key playmaker for the Tigers, Brooks is one the Dragons will need to contain on Sunday afternoon.
Key matchups
Jackson Ford v Luke Garner
Since coming into the Dragons line-up, Gerringong local Jackson Ford has grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
In a match where the Dragons were outgunned against the Roosters, Ford played the full 80 minutes and had the highest running metres of any Dragons forward (129), and the second-highest post-contact metres in the team (54). Combined with his six tackle breaks and 43 tackles, Ford is eager for another big performance.
He lines up against another rookie in Luke Garner, who has just 18 NRL appearances. Garner has been a strike weapon for the Tigers with three line breaks, one line-break assist, five tries, and ran for a season-best 130 running metres last week.
Tim Lafai v Esan Marsters
Two international centres clash in this match-up which will play a vital role in the outcome of the match.
Both Lafai (28) and Marsters (36) are the leading offloaders for their respective teams.
Marsters has been on song in attack with nine tries (career-best) and three try assists this season.
Lafai's attacking numbers aren't quite to the same heights with two tries, four line breaks and five try assists. Lafai does, however, boast a far better defensive record with a tackle efficiency of 84 per cent, missing just 25 tackles from 207 this year.
