St George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers predictions: Dragons to punish tame Tigers

There's a feast of rugby league action on the cards in the NRL this week on the back of the first game of this year's State of Origin, and the St George Illawarra Dragons play host to the Wests Tigers on Friday.

The game (KO, 11:00am) comes just two days after Origin One, but the Dragons will hope their returning players can make an impact and add to the Tigers' woes, with the visitors having lost their last eight games. The Dragons are 12th in the table after picking up 14 points in 12 matches, while the Tigers are 16th and in danger of collecting another wooden spoon after taking just eight points from 11 games.

Team news

Dragons trio Ben Hunt, Jaydn Su'A and Zac Lomax have all been named in the squad despite playing in Origin One, and they replace Sione Finau, Jesse Marschke and Ryan Couchman.

Tigers coach Benji Marshall is still without back-rower Isaiah Papali'i for eight weeks due to an ankle injury, but he will welcome back experienced centres Justin Olam and Brent Naden from suspension.

Prop David Klemmer is suspended, meaning Alex Twal moves to prop.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Wests Tigers Odds

The Dragons are 2/5 shots for Friday's encounter, which is no surprise considering they have beaten the Dragons in four of their last five encounters.

The draw is 22/1, while the Tigers are 11/5 outsiders for their trip to the WIN Stadium.

The Dragons have been boosted to 21/10 to cover the -16 handicap in the lead-up to Friday's encounter.

St George Illawarra Dragons - 8 @ 20/21

The Dragons are outside the play-offs at present, and that is largely due to their inconsistent results. They have shown potential, though, and picked up a morale-boosting 22-10 victory last time out against champions Penrith Panthers.

Shane Flanagan's side won 24-12 at Campbelltown Stadium in Round 6 against the Tigers, and a win could help to push them into the top eight.

Marshall's team have been hapless all season, and another wooden spoon looks on the cards after eight successive defeats.

The Tigers go into the game following a bye so they should be fresh, but they lack the killer instinct needed at this level.

Under 45.5 points @ 20/21

Points have been hard to come by for the Tigers, and they have scored more than 17 points on only three occasions this season.

With two of their star forwards unavailable, it's difficult to see what platform they can build through the middle.

While the Dragons should secure the win, this shouldn't be a hammering. Three of their best players are highly likely to be fatigued due to Origin commitments, and they should do just enough to get the job done this week.

Rugby League Betting tips from Betfred Insights.