New Zealand Warriors vs. St. George Illawarra Dragons: The Opening Face-Off

New Zealand Warriors will take on St. George Illawarra Dragons on 12 March 2022, in the first week of NRL. This match will take place at Sunshine Coast Stadium, Australia. Since it’s the first game of the series, the teams will be aiming for a promising start. 

New Zealand Warriors claimed victory in the single game they played in the NRL Pre-season by Melbourne Storm 30-18. Last year, the Squad's performance was pretty inconsistent and ended in 3 successive defeats, including a whitewash to Gold Coast Titans. During the NRL 2021, after a series of losses, the Warriors scored victories against Wests Tigers 18-16, Cronulla Sharks 18-16, and Canterbury Bulldogs 24-10. Moreover, they beat the Dragons in 1 of the 2 games they played last year by a very thin margin, 19-18. It is expected that the team will use their losses as motivation to improve their future performance.

• Bunty Afoa
• Josh Curran
• Matt Lodge
• Shaun Johnson
• Edward Kosi

Dragons' last tournament was the NRL Pre-season when the team won over Parramatta Eels 26-22 and South Sydney Rabbitohs 16-10. Last season, the Dragons took a good start, but the end of the series was quite unfortunate with 8 consecutive losses in hand. Their recent wins might signify that the team is ready to get back in the game, which they should, to compensate for last year. In addition, the team is currently leveled with the Warriors after winning 1 of the 2 matches of 2021. The coming game is a chance for Dragons to make amends and start fresh. Moreover, this win will put them a step ahead of the Warriors.

• Daniel Alvaro
• Jackson Ford
• George Burgess
• Ben Hunt
• Talatau Amone

The next game Dragons compete against Warriors can bring a twist to the record. Both teams will be keen to show off their potential and put forward a challenging game. It is possible that for the opening match, Dragons will make good use of the new men added to the squad and welcome a successful beginning.