The St George Illawarra Dragons will meet the Wests Tigers on Sunday, May 7th, for Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. This is your game day guide.
Magic Round
There won’t be any rabbits being pulled out of hats or audience members disappearing into thin air. Still, Magic Round will surely deliver some truly magical and exciting moments this weekend.
The Dragons and the Tigers will do battle in the sixth match at Suncorp Stadium over the weekend and kick-start Sunday’s rugby league action.
If you can’t get to the ground, make sure you’re seated front and centre from your TV ready for an important match.
Key timings:
When: Sunday, May 7th 1.50pm
Where: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Watch: Kayo and Foxtel
Changes aplenty
Anthony Griffin has swung the axe and welcomed back some stars to face the last-placed Tigers.
Mikaele Ravalawa and Jaydn Su’A both return to the squad after a stint on the sidelines following injuries. Jack de Belin moves to the front row and Jack Bird switches to lock to accommodate the return of Su’A.
Zac Lomax has been replaced in centre by Max Feagai who had a strong outing against the Bulldogs last week, while Jacob Liddle has also been relegated with Jayden Sullivan taking his place. Toby Couchman is the final player to miss this week with Billy Burns returning to the side to start in the back row.
Forced changes for Tigers
A couple of changes for the Tigers with Brent Naden accepting a three-match suspension for a shoulder charge which brings Tommy Talau back into the side at centre.
Asu Kepaoa is also back from illness last week and joins the interchange.
De Belin in form
Dragons forward Jack de Belin said ‘’follow me’’ last week and turned out a strong performance against the Bulldogs.
His 178 running meters was the most of any forward in the game, with 62 of those metres coming after contact. Top it off with four tackle breaks and 43 tackles, JDB is looking in fine form ahead of Sunday’s match.
Sloan v Bula
Two exciting young fullbacks with the world at their feet come to grips with each other this weekend in a thrilling match up.
Bula has hit the ground running since debuting two weeks ago, helping his side to their first win of the season over the heavily favoured Panthers side. Sloan has shown some glimpses of his immense potential, highlighted by a scintillating performance on Anzac Day.
The clash between these two is definitely something to keep your eyes on.
