- 1 Dragons vs Bulldogs: Canterbury have their season on the line at Allianz Stadium
- 2 Dragons: a young pack growing in authority
- 3 Bulldogs: a season that has stalled
- 4 NRL prediction St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Facts can change
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Dragons vs Bulldogs: Canterbury have their season on the line at Allianz Stadium 
The Bulldogs have won their last six meetings with the Dragons. The most recent came at the start of this season, in Las Vegas, when Stephen Crichton settled it with a drop goal in golden point.
On Saturday at 19:35 local time, at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, round 25 puts the two teams back together in a very different setting. Canterbury have slipped out of the top 8 after back-to-back defeats.
Cameron Ciraldo now needs at least two wins from his last three games, and he’ll also be hoping the results elsewhere break his way. There is no room for error.
Across the field, St George Illawarra are on a two-game winning run and are battling to avoid the wooden spoon. The Dragons dug in against the Tigers last weekend.
A lot has changed since February for Canterbury: Crichton has moved from centre to halfback, where he now teams up with Lachlan Galvin. That partnership has driven the Bulldogs’ second-half surge.
One stat does temper the visitors’ favourites tag: Canterbury have won only two of their last nine away games. Their record on the road is still the weak spot.
Round 25 pits a team chasing finals football against one playing for pride. Both matter at this stage of the regular season.
Dragons: a young pack growing in authority 
The Dragons are eyeing a third straight win, something they have not done since round two in 2023. This run has changed the mood around the club.
The turnaround starts up front. Hamish Stewart has established himself as one of the competition’s best second-rowers and is now banging on the door for an Australia World Cup call-up.
Prop Loko Pasifiki Tonga is also improving week by week, and the Dragons’ pack has become a genuine force through the middle. That is where this one will be decided on Saturday.
Out wide, things are trickier. Clint Gutherson remains sidelined with a knee issue, which pushes Dan Atkinson to fullback and Mat Feagai onto the wing.
On the bench, there is just one change: Josh Kerr comes in for Blake Lawrie. So the rotation stays largely unchanged from the win over the Tigers.
The concern is the setting. The Dragons have conceded 237 points across five straight losses at Allianz Stadium. Still, their defence has tightened sharply of late, with 24 points or fewer shipped in six of their last eight games.
The current run is modest over a full season, but it means plenty for a club that had not strung together three straight wins since 2023. Staying up and avoiding the wooden spoon is exactly the kind of night this is about.
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Bulldogs: a season that has stalled 
Canterbury had found their rhythm after shifting Crichton into the halves alongside Galvin. Then the wheels came off with two straight defeats that pushed them out of the top 8.
The defence is still a strength, though, with the seventh-best defensive record in the competition. That is not where the rot began.
The backline has taken a hit: Jethro Rinakama is out for the rest of the season after knee and ankle injuries. Enari Tuala moves out to the wing and Bronson Xerri returns to the starting side in the centres.
Ciraldo has also recalled the versatile Sean O’Sullivan to the bench. He has not played a minute of NRL since round 20, when he impressed in the halves against the Wests Tigers.
That six-game winning streak against the Dragons gives the Bulldogs a solid base, but it came in different circumstances to Saturday’s clash. Only two wins in nine away trips is the real story right now.
Ciraldo still has a quality halves pairing in Crichton and Galvin, one that can flip a tight game in a single moment. The issue is elsewhere: consistency, or lack of it, with two defeats at exactly the wrong time of the season.
Probable St. George Illawarra Dragons lineup: Atkinson at fullback, Feagai on the wing, Sloan and Stewart retained, Kerr on the bench in place of Lawrie; the full official team had not been announced at the time of publication.
Probable Canterbury Bulldogs lineup: Crichton and Galvin in the halves, Tuala on the wing, Xerri in the centres, O’Sullivan on the bench; the full official team had not been announced at the time of publication.
NRL prediction St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Our prediction: Dragons with a +6.5-point handicap
Canterbury have won only two of their last nine away games and come in on the back of two straight defeats that have knocked them out of the top 8. A 6.5-point start looks steep for a side that travels this badly.
The Dragons, meanwhile, have kept opponents to 24 points or fewer in six of their last eight matches and are on a two-game winning run, with a pack led by Hamish Stewart hitting form. Tyrell Sloan, with eight tries in his last eight outings, adds threat out wide.
We expect the Dragons to cover the 6.5-point handicap.
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