The Warriors are shooting for their fourth straight win this season. Photo: RNZ
Warriors v Dragons
Kickoff 7.30pm Saturday, 10 May
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
History
Surprisingly, only one current NRL team - Melbourne Storm (69.2 percent) has a better winning record over the Warriors than St George Illawarra Dragons (67.6 percent), with Manly Sea Eagles just behind (67.4 percent).
That advantage is even more pronounced at WIN Stadium, where the Dragons won the first 10 encounters played there.
The visitors finally broke that drought in 2018 when centre Solomone Kata scored a try double, and went back-to-back in 2023, when winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak bagged four in a 48-18 whitewash, but the home team took out their only meeting last year at the same venue.
St George have won four of the last six encounters - both Warriors wins came two years ago, as they made their run to the preliminary final.
The original St George Dragons won 15 NRL championships between 1941-79, but amalgamated with Illawarra Steelers in 1998 and won another in 2010.
Form
Since bowing to Melbourne Storm last month, the Warriors have rattled off three straight wins over Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights and North Queensland Cowboys to sit third on the NRL table.
Their 6-2 start to the campaign equals the best in club history through eight games, matching the 2002 grand final side that began 11-2 and the 2018 playoff team that started 5-0, before dropping a couple.
Despite their winning record, the Warriors' four-point win over the Cowboys finally dragged them out of the red in points differential - they have now scored exactly as many points as they've conceded this season.
Hooker Wayde Egan continues to lead the league in dummy-half runs with 53 entering round 10.
The Dragons currently sit 12th on the ladder with three wins and five losses, but have struggled for consistency.
They began with two defeats, before toppling perennial contenders Melbourne Storm, then losing to bottom-of-the-table Parramatta Eels, before back-to-back wins over Gold Coast Titans and Manly Sea Eagles.
They were pounded 46-18 by Sydney Roosters on Anzac Day and let Wests Tigers slip through their fingers last week.
"They're definitely playing better than the results they've got," Warriors coach Andrew Webster observed.
"I've watched them closely and I feel like they're working really hard. Particularly going back to their home ground this week, they'll be a tough side to crack.
"Thing aren't probably going the way they'd like them, but I've got a lot of respect for them and I think they've got great variations with the footy, so we have to be ready."
The Warriors defence will be wary of the Dragons' linebreaking ability - they match the Roosters (53) in this regard, with winger Tyrell Sloan (11) among the league leaders and fullback Clint Gutherson among the leading linebreak assisters (9).
Teams
Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5 Taine Tuaupiki, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 Jackson Ford, 9 Wayne Egan, 10 Mitch Barnett, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark
Interchange: 14 Sam Healey, 15 Jacob Laban, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Bunty Afoa
Reserves: 18 Te Maire Martin, 20 Tanah Boyd, 21 Tanner Stowers-Smith, 22 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 23 Eddie Ieremia-Toeava
Webster has had to reshuffle his backline again, after losing centres Ali Leiataua (ankle) and Rocco Berry (hamstring), and winger Ed Kosi (shoulder) before or during the Cowboys win.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns from the wrist he broke in pre-season, so he is a straight swap for Kosi.
Adam Pompey resumes his role in the midfield, where he started the season, but second-rower Kurt Capewell has switched to centre, where he started against Brisbane Broncos and has previously served Queensland in State of Origin.
Capewell's move has seen changes in the pack, with Marata Niukore returning to the second row and Jackson Ford starting in the front row.
Jacob Laban returns from concussion to join the interchange, while rookie hooker Sam Healey gets to build on his club debut last week.
Dragons: 1 Clint Gutherson, 2 Tyrell Sloan, 3 Moses Suli, 4 Valentine Holmes, 5 Corey Allan, 6 Kyle Flanagan, 7 Lyhkan King-Tongia, 8 Toby Couchman, 9 Damien Cook, 10 David Klemmer, 11 Dylan Egan, 12 Jaydn Su'A, 13 Hamish Stewart
Interchange: 14 Jacob Liddle, 15 Jack de Belin, 16 Luciano Leilua, 17 Loko Pasifiki Tonga
Reserves: 18 Nathan Lawson, 19 Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 20 Lachlan Ilias, 21 Blake Lawrie, 22 Finau Latu
Coach Shane Flanagan has made only one forced change to his team, with teenager Loko Pasifiki Tonga named to debut off the interchange, replacing injured Emre Guler (shoulder).
Half Lachlan Ilias continues his return from injury, lurking among the reserves for a possible late call-up.
Interchange forward Luciano Leilua has been named for his 150th NRL game.
Player to watch
After missing the playoffs for six straight seasons, the Dragons cleared the cupboard in the off-season, bringing in former premiership-winning coach Flanagan, along with some big-name representative players.
Perhaps the biggest of those names is Valentine Holmes, who helped Cronulla Sharks to a championship in 2016, before leaving to chase his NFL dream.
He returned to chalk up almost 100 games for North Queensland Cowboys, and has now made 21 international appearances for Australia and 19 Origin outings for Queensland.
He has a Kiwi dad.
Kiwi to watch
Last week, Christchurch-born Jayden Su'A became the butt of all jokes, when he blew a certain try by dropping the ball mid-dive and watched Wests fullback Jahream Bula take it 100 metres to score at the other end in a six-point loss.
Su'A moved to Australia as an infant and took a different representative pathway, playing eight tests for Samoa and five Origin games for Queensland. He was named Man of the Match, when his Junior Kangaroos beat Junior Kiwis in 2016.
He'll badly want to make up for his faux pas in the 'Magic Round'.
What will happen
Their respective positions on the table suggest the Warriors should extend their winning run to four games, but WIN Stadium has proved a graveyard for the visitors and they are better than their record suggests.
Warriors in another close one.
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