Round 16, 2018: St George Illawarra 20 Parramatta 18

NRL.com

Dragons v Eels: Frizell rested; Moses returns

With the Origin period two-thirds complete, the Telstra Premiership resumes with Thursday night's first v last battle.

And with so many players (nine) juggling rep commitments with club footy, the Dragons might not be the sure things the ladder would suggest.

Coach Paul McGregor will carefully check the condition of his troops before finalising a 17-man team to face the Eels but at this stage Tyson Frizell is the only star to be rested. It's a tricky one because he also can't afford to field a reserve-grade side against a team with nothing to lose, especially with the battle for the minor premiership so tight.

Parramatta gave the Rabbitohs a minor scare a fortnight ago when they charged out to a 14-6 lead and were the better team for most of the first half.

But they ended up being flogged and remain dead last with a dismal 3-12 record. The Eels really only have pride to play for over the final third of the season but might quietly like their chances if the Dragons don't have their usual soldiers leading the charge.

Key match-up: Corey Norman enjoyed a brief return to form when Parra beat the Cowboys in round 14 before he and the rest of the Eels received a lesson from Souths the following week. Norman has to take charge early and put his stamp on the game in his battle with Dragons five-eighth Gareth Widdop, who is expected to back up after Sunday's Test against New Zealand in Denver.

For the Dragons to win: Having most if not all of their nine rep players back on deck will be a major factor in how the Dragons function against the lowly Eels. If they are just close to full strength, they should have too much firepower all over the park. The Dragons also have more to play for and will be ready to extinguish a possible early ambush like the one Parra hit Souths with in round 15.

For the Eels to win: It might seem like mission impossible given that it's 1 v 16, but Parra could cause an upset if some of their big names like Norman, Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings and Nathan Brown play out of their skin. The Dragons have been vulnerable to little moments of slippage during games and might get nervous if the Eels can manage to keep it close down the stretch.

Dragons Stat Attack: St George prop James Graham will play his 150th NRL game if he backs up from the Denver Test.

Eels Stat Attack: If the previous years are anything to go off then the Eels have reason to be confident, having won their last six games against St George Illawarra.

And another thing: Parramatta and St George battled out rugby league's first drawn grand final in 1977, with scores locked at 9-9 at the end of 80 minutes. When 10 minutes each way couldn't break the deadlock, both teams returned to the Sydney Cricket Ground a few days later for an unprecedented grand final replay. The Dragons dominated the replayed grand final, winning 22-0. Amazingly the 1978 grand final between Manly and Cronulla also finished in a draw (11-11), with the Sea Eagles prevailing 16-0 in the replay.

St George Illawarra Dragons v Parramatta Eels, Thursday 7.50pm at WIN Stadium

Dragons: 1 Matt Dufty, 2 Nene Macdonald, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Tim Lafai, 5 Kurt Mann, 6 Gareth Widdop (c), 7 Ben Hunt, 8 James Graham, 9 Cameron McInnes, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Jacob Host, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Jack De Belin

Interchange: 14 Jeremy Latimore, 15 Jason Nightingale, 16 Leeson Ah Mau, 17 Luciano Leilua

Reserves: 18 Blake Lawrie, 19 Reece Robson, 20 Jai Field, 21 Hame Sele, 22 Darren Nicholls, 23 Patrick Herbert

Jack De Belin has been named despite copping another knock to his hip in Origin but back-rower Tyson Frizell, who passed a HIA test in the first half of Origin II, will sit out a week. Jacob Host starts with Luciano Leilua on the bench. Leeson Ah Mau has been named on the bench despite a very short turnaround following a delayed flight home from Denver.

Eels: 1 Clint Gutherson (c), 2 Bevan French, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Jarryd Hayne, 5 George Jennings, 6 Mitchell Moses, 7 Corey Norman, 8 Daniel Alvaro, 9 Cameron King, 10 Siosaia Vave, 11 Marata Niukore, 12 Brad Takairangi, 13 Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14 Will Smith, 15 Tim Mannah (c), 16 David Gower, 17 Peni Terepo

Reserves: 18 Kirisome Auva'a, 19 Kane Evans, 20 Jaeman Salmon, 21 Suaia Matagi

Mitch Moses's return from a knee injury in the halves pushes Clint Gutherson to fullback, Bevan French to the wing and Josh Hoffman out of the side. Siosaia Vave starts for Tim Mannah (bench). Marata Niukore starts in the back row with Manu Ma'u (fractured cheek) out. Will Smith replaces Reed Mahoney (suspension) on the bench.

Head-to-head: Played 33; Eels 17 wins, Dragons 14 wins, 2 draws
Matches at venue: Played 6; Dragons 3 wins, Eels 2 wins, 1 draw
Previous result: Eels won 24-10 at ANZ Stadium in round 15, 2017
Points per game: Dragons 25.1; Eels 14.5
Points conceded per game: Dragons 15.4; Eels 23.6
Televised: Live on Nine, Fox League

Steve Turner's prediction: The Dragons will be hoping their Test and Origin stars back up and take the field on Thursday night during a heavy workload. It was a great start to the season for the Red V, but this period will challenge them physically and mentally. The Eels just need to win and they need an almighty effort from the 17 that take the field. Tip: Dragons by 10

NRL.com

Dragons stage great escape to beat Eels

Two quick tries by Dragons speedsters Euan Aitken and Matt Dufty stopped the embarrassment of losing to the bottom-placed Parramatta at WIN Stadium for competition leaders St George Illawarra, winning 20-18.

The Dragons registered their 12th win of the season while the Eels languish in 16th spot with just three wins.

It was off the back of come-from-behind tries by Aitken in the 73rd minute and Dufty in the 76th. It was a victory that the Eels players must have smelt. They led the match for 55 minutes, taking a 12-8 lead into halftime.

NSW Origin forward Paul Vaughan will have a nervous wait to see how the match review committee views his tripping of Eels forward David Gower.

Vaughan was placed on report and a grade one charge would be a $1,500 fine but grade two would mean two matches. The Blues team for Origin III at Suncorp Stadium on July 11 will be named next week.

It did appear that halfback Ben Hunt had an Origin hangover, with several of his kicks missing their mark, or just poorly executed. His short-kicking game plagued him in last Sunday's 18-14 win by NSW over Queensland.

But he turned the tables eventually as it was Hunt's grubber that Aitken grounds in the 73rd minute to get the Dragons within four points, 18-14.

The Dragons did score the first points of the match through a Gareth Widdop penalty goal in the 14th minute, but the first half was all Parramatta.

It took the Red-V 12 minutes to get deep into Eels territory, or inside their 20-metre line. Their first try didn't come until the 36th minute but it was worth the wait. A lovely 60-metre movement, featuring Tim Lafai twice, ended with fullback Matt Dufty scoring.

But the Eels already had secured the lead into the halftime break 12-8, with tries to Bevan French (24th minute) and Nathan Brown (31st) – both converted by Clint Gutherson.

News & Notes: St George Illawarra had six players backing up from representative games last weekend.... forward Tyson Frizell was rested... Bevan French has now scored six tries in his past four games against the Dragons... Prop James Graham played his 150th NRL game.