Warriors vs Dragons Prediction: Dragons can add to Warriors’ woes

St George Illawarra Dragons have emerged as giant killers in the NRL in recent weeks, and they will look to add the New Zealand Warriors to their list of victims on Friday (09:00 BST, Watch NRL) when they clash at Go Media Stadium.

Below are my Warriors vs Dragons predictions, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in Auckland.

Warriors vs Dragons Odds

The New Zealand Warriors are the 8/15 favourites to win on Friday morning, while the St George Illawarra Dragons are 8/5 to head back across The Tasman with the victory.

A draw in Auckland is available at 18/1, while the Dragons to be leading at half-time and full-time is currently 11/4.

Team News

The Warriors go with a pack of Erin Clark, Marata Niukore, Leka Halasima, Jackson Ford, Wayde Egan and James Fisher-Harris.

In the backline, the hosts set up with Tanah Boyd, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Taine Tuaupiki.

As for the Dragons, they have Jack De Belin, Hamish Stewart, Luciano Leilua, David Klemmer, Damien Cook and Emre Guler in the pack.

The backline for the visitors consists of Kyle Flanagan, Lyhkan King-Togia, Corey Allan, Mathew Feagai, Hayden Buchanan, Tyrell Sloan and Clinton Gutherson.

Rugby League Odds

Dragons win @ 6/4

Having had a spell of being the nearly men of the NRL this season, the Dragons have been able to turn those near misses into big scalps.

Winning their last two games against the Canberra Raiders and the Cronulla Sharks, the Dragons have now moved to within four points of the top eight with four games of the regular season left to play.

Determined to keep up their winning momentum, Shane Flanagan’s side next face a Warriors’ team whose own season has stalled at a bad time.

Losing their last two home games against the Gold Coast Titans and the Dolphins, the Warriors have slipped out of the top four.

Currently on a three-match losing streak, the Warriors look there for the taking, and the Dragons are good value for the win in Auckland on Friday.

Under 43.5 total points @ 5/6

There is unlikely to be too much between the sides this week, as games between this pair tend to be cagey affairs.

The Warriors edged out the Dragons 15-14 when they met at WIN Stadium in Wollongong earlier this season.

In total, under 43.5 total points would have landed as a winning bet in each of the last three meetings between these sides, and there’s value to be had in backing that trend to continue at Go Media Stadium.

You can read all our latest Rugby League Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights Rugby League content hub.