NRL Round 19 sees a full fixture list and this could be make or break for the likes of St George Illawarra Dragons and Manly Sea Eagles.
A couple of months ago everything was rosy in the Dragons garden and they even looked capable of being a contender for the Minor Premiership – but now they are capable of slipping out of the top eight altogether.
St George have lost five matches on the bounce and have not won since beating Cronulla Sharks 42-6 at the Jubilee Oval and have lost to Canterbury Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels, North Queensland Cowboys and the Sharks.
The last thing a team needs when they are on a run like that is to face the defending champions South Sydney Rabbitohs but that is what awaits them on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
A sixth successive defeat for the Dragons would be catastrophic, while the Bunnies are still chasing a top four spot and another victory would keep them in the hunt.
One team on the up at the moment is the Manly Sea Eagles and they go in search of a third successive win and move closer to the top eight.
They are currently 13th on the league ladder with 16 points and are only four from Canterbury Bulldogs in eighth so they are not yet out of it.
They do face a tough ask this weekend when they battle North Queensland Cowboys on Monday – but it is at Brookvale Oval and they may be beneficial for the Sea Eagles.
Brisbane Broncos are the league leaders in the NRL as they sit top with 30 points, while the Cowboys (28), Sydney Roosters (24) and New Zealand Warriors (22) make up the top four. The remaining teams in the top eight are Souths (22),Melbourne Storm (20), the Dragons (20) and the Bulldogs (20).
There are two matches on Friday to kick off round 19 with Melbourne Storm hosting Penrith Panthers at AAMI Park and Parramatta Eels facing Canterbury Bulldogs at the ANZ Stadium.
Aside from the Dragons-Bunnies clash there are two more matches on Saturday with Canberra Raiders taking on Cronulla Sharks and Newcastle Knights facing Gold Coast Titans.
Sunday’s games see Sydney Roosters host New Zealand Warriors in a top four clash at the Allianz Stadium and the Broncos face Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium before Manly and the Cowboys do battle on Monday.
NRL Round 19 Fixtures:
17/07/2021
1035 – Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers
1035 – Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bulldogs
18/07/2021
0600 – Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks
0830 – Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans
1030 – St George Illawarra vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
19/07/2021
0500 – Sydney Roosters vs NZ Warriors
0700 – Brisbane Broncos vs Wests Tigers
20/07/2021
Manly Sea Eagles vs North Queensland Cowboys
