St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canberra Raiders Prediction: Top spot chance for Raiders

The one-off game that takes place on Friday night pits two teams against each other that are headed in very opposite directions. At WIN Stadium in Wollongong, the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Canberra Raiders will go head-to-head in round 19 of NRL Week. While the St. George Illawarra Dragons are struggling in the bottom table spot, the Canberra Raiders are banging on the doors of the standings.

What else is there to say about the St. George Dragons Illawarra this season that hasn't already been written? It's getting to the point where it's almost like listening to a broken record. They enter round 19 having suffered a thrashing at the hands of the New Zealand Warriors by a margin of 30 points and then a thumping at the hands of their Shire rivals, the Cronulla Sharks, by a margin of 36 points the week before. In their previous four defeats coming into this game, the St. George Dragons Illawarra had failed to score up to 20 points in any of those games. The left side of the Dragons' defense has been responsible for allowing 55% of the team's tries. Ben Hunt has responsibilities with the State of Origin and will not be able to play in the forthcoming encounter. As a result, Talatau Amone will get the opportunity to make his return in the second half and link up with his close friend Jayden Sullivan. Paul Turner will start at fullback in lieu of Tyrell Sloan, who has a calf injury and will not be able to play. Tautau Moga was not included in the backline because Moses Suli has returned to action after recovering from a concussion. This is a great development. Tautau Moga was included in the backline. Exciting news is on the horizon, as it has been reported that Dan Russell will make his debut in the NRL coming off the bench.

Since their victory against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round 6, the Raiders haven't looked back, winning eight of their last ten games. However, only three of those victories have been against teams that are now ranked in the top eight of the competition. All of their triumphs have been decided by a margin of ten points or fewer, and the most important thing is not only that they have been successful in completing their tasks but also that they have exhibited strong moral fiber while doing so. The Canberra Raiders have won all 10 of their matches so far in 2023, and in each one of those games, they have scored at least 20 points. In addition, the Raiders have won their last four games by a margin of victory in the second quarter that was greater than four points. It has been decided that Corey Horsburgh will not be available this weekend because he will be making his Origin debut the following Wednesday. As a result, Ata Mariota will step in as the lock, and Emre Guler will take up the starting position in the prop position. This time around, Hudson Young was not selected to play for the New South Wales squad, which opens the door for him to participate for the Raiders. Trey Mooney has replaced Pasami Saulo after the latter suffered a brain injury and was forced to sit out the rest of the season.

It is simply impossible to be a fan of a side like the St. George Illawarra Dragons at this point in the season since they are having such a hard time competing. In the meantime, the Canberra Raiders are having much too much success to risk letting something as certain as this opportunity slip through their grasp. As a result, the Canberra Raiders have the ability to take a lead at halftime of five points or more, score twenty points, and keep the Dragons under the 20-point mark.