With the National Rugby League bringing its coronavirus-related suspension to and end and getting back underway this week, it’s time to find out whether the New Zealand Warriors or St. George Illawarra Dragons are going to come out on top in their matchup of winless teams seeking their first victories. With professional rugby in New Zealand and Australia making its slow return to action, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NRL betting odds in this affair.
NRL Dragons vs Warriors Round 3
Why Bet On The Warriors
The Warriors are in 15th place in the NRL standings, having scored a paltry six points while allowing 40 defensively (-34). After starting the 2020 season with a 24-14 loss against the West Tigers on March 15, New Zealand then put up a better effort before falling against the Panthers 32-28 on March 20. Hooker Wayne Edgan has a team-high 69 tackles while halfback Kodi Nikorima has recorded a team-high four points and one try. Halfback Chanel Harris-Tavita has a team-high one goal. The two-time league championship runner-ups have a 74% completion rate and 87.7% tackle efficiency.
Why Bet On The Dragons
The Dragons are in 13th place in the NRL standings with 42 points scored and 56 allowed defensively (-14). After kicking off their season with a 20-0 shutout loss against the Knights on March 13, St. George then fell against the Raiders 20-6 on March 20. Prop, Blake Irwin has a team-high 81 tackles while center Zac Lomax has team-highs of 22 points and seven goals. Fullback Matthew Duffy has recorded a team-high two tries. The one-time league champs have a 71% completion rate and 88.2% tackle efficiency.
Expert Analysis and Prediction
While both of these teams will enter their post, coronavirus restarts with identical 0-2 records, the fact of the matter is that the last time we saw both of these clubs, the New Zealand Warriors could hardly score, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve scored a pitiful six points through two games. However, the Warriors have also taken both of the head-to-head meetings in this rivalry by recording a 26-18 win at home in May of 2019, one year after recording an 18-12 win in August of 2018.
Still, this time around, I’m going with the Dragons to extract some revenge by getting the big road win. The St. George Dragons have put 42 points on the board and the Warriors have been limited to a league low, six and that’s why I’m going with the Dragons to get it done in this Round 3 matchup!
Pick: Dragons 20 Warriors 16
General Game Info St. George Illawarra Dragons (0-0-2) vs. New Zealand Warriors (0-0-2)
- When: Saturday, may 30 at 12:00 AM
- Where: Central Coast Stadium, Central Coast
- Dragons vs Warriors Live: Fox
- Spread: St. George Dragons 2½ / New Zealand Warriors +2½
