Sydney Roosters vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Prediction: Visiting Dragons to take something out of this game

Round 18 of the National Rugby League will see Sydney Roosters play St. George Illawarra Dragons at Sydney Football Stadium. The hosts are favorites here, while the road team comes in as underdogs. How will this encounter end?

Sydney Roosters

Sydney Roosters will focus on continuity following a win of three in a row. Last weekend, this team took on Wests Tigers and secured an easy 40-6 win, thanks to a strong performance in each half where they scored 20 points. However, prior games to this saw this team defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels, games that ended 26-8 and 18-28. 

Heading into this game 18, Sydney Roosters have lost just two of their last seven of their last nine matches. Their losses in that run were against Cronulla Sharks and NQ Cowboys. This team defeated the New Zealand Warriors, Brisbane Broncos, and Canberra Raiders in that run. 

St. George Illawarra Dragons

St. George Illawarra Dragons returned to winning ways against Dolphins last time out, securing a 26-6 win. In that encounter, St. George Illawarra Dragons had a poor first-half performance where they lost 2-6. However, a top-level play in the second half saw this team score 24 points while having a strong defensive play, conceding 0. 

In the meantime, their prior games to that win saw St. George Illawarra Dragons win two and lose two games. In their triumphs, St. George Illawarra Dragons defeated Penrith Panthers and the Wests Tigers, while they lost to Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles. 

St. George Illawarra Dragons have 20 points accumulated from 15 league games this season. In that run of games, St. George Illawarra Dragons scored 322 points while conceding 352. This team sits 9th in the standings, the same points 8th placed NQ Cowboys that hold the last spot of the playoffs. 

Expert Betting Tips

I expect this game to be competitive enough, looking at the points accumulated so far by the two sides this season. However, while the St. George Illawarra Dragons have been decent, they have not been too strong defensively. On the other hand, Sydney Roosters are on the run of victories, and I do not expect them to slack off. However, I feel this will be an offensive game, with both sides going to be very sharp. Yet, the St. George Illawarra Dragons have shown what they can do, and I expect them to cover the spread.