WIN Stadium will play host to Thursday's Round 21 NRL game between St. George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers. The game kicks off at 7:50 pm with St. George Illawarra Dragons heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the St. George Illawarra Dragons vs. Wests Tigers game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Thursday July 20, 2023 at 7:50 pm

Where: WIN Stadium

Bet: Bet On This Match HERE

St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers Odds

St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers Preview

A tough one to get excited about as the NRL’s two most hapless battlers lock horns, but the result will have a major bearing on who gets lumped with the 2023 wooden spoon.

Wests Tigers’ brief mid-season resurgence included an 18-16 eclipse of the St George Illawarra in Magic Round – their fifth win from the last seven between the joint ventures.

They have met in Wollongong six times with the Tigers 4-2 ahead in the count, but the Dragons prevailed 12-6 there last season.

But the 3-14 Tigers are staring down the barrel of their second seven-match losing streak of the season.

After the horrors of their 74-0 loss to the Cowboys, they improved somewhat in defeats to the Sharks (36-12) and Knights (34-18) in the past fortnight.

Jahream Bula’s two-try display was a rare highlight in Newcastle, where the final scoreline arguably flattered the Tigers.

The 4-13 Dragons have conceded 136 points in losing their last three games, crashing heavily to the Warriors and Sharks.

Their Round 19 encounter with the Raiders was headed the same way at 18-0 down, but a Mikaele Ravalawa hat-trick spearheaded a revival in what was eventually a 36-26 loss.

The Dragons are boosted by the return of Ben Hunt, Tyrell Sloan and Jacob Liddle, while Jack Bird is also back from a rest. Dan Russell starts in the back-row with Ben Murdoch-Masila out.

David Nofoaluma (shoulder) returns on the Tigers’ wing, while Daine Laurie regains the No.6 jersey at Will Smith’s expense, Tallyn de Silva gets a bench spot with Jake Simpkin dropping out.

Both teams are riddled with issues, but the impetus provided by Hunt and the Wollongong crowd are reason enough to get behind the Saints, who are only $1.62 favourites.

Content provided by Ladbrokes