Mt Smart Stadium will play host to Friday's Round 26 NRL game between New Zealand Warriors and St. George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 6:00 pm with New Zealand Warriors heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the New Zealand Warriors vs. St. George Illawarra Dragons game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Friday August 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm

Where: Mt Smart Stadium

Bet: Bet On This Match HERE

New Zealand Warriors vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Odds

New Zealand Warriors vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Preview

The Warriors can clinch their first top-four finish since 2007 – and seven straight wins for just the second time in their history – by saluting at a sold-out Mt Smart Stadium against a St George Illawarra side that has lost its last four.

The Warriors snapped a three-match losing streak against the Dragons in Round 17, overcoming a sluggish start to blow the battlers away 48-18 in Wollongong where Dallin Watene-Zelezniak ran in four of the visitors’ nine tries.

The 15-7 Warriors have been patchy over the past month despite their watershed winning streak, battling past the Titans and Tigers, before only subduing desperate Manly in the latter stages of a 29-22 victory.

Their left edge was torched by the Sea Eagles in the first half, but DWZ’s hat-trick heroics, another cool-headed masterclass from Shaun Johnson and Addin Fonua-Blake’s powerhouse efforts got them over the line.

The Dragons have been far from disgraced on their current losing run, beaten by 1-12 margins by Manly, Parramatta, Souths and Melbourne.

They led the Storm 24-18 early in the second half last Saturday and were only put away in the last five minutes.

But attacking livewire Tyrell Sloan has been consistently exposed in defence and the Saints have conceded less than 24 points just once in their last 11 games.

The Warriors have named the same 17, though Josh Curran gets a start this week and Jackson Ford will go to the bench.

Five-eighth Te Maire Martin – injured since Round 6 – has been named in the extended squad while Zac Lomax returns for the Dragons after pulling out late last week.

The Saints’ last win at Mt Smart Stadium was back in 2011 and we should start to see the best of the Warriors again as they tune up for the finals which means the visitors could be on the wrong end of another hefty scoreline in this one.

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