Dragons face must-win clash with Panthers in NRL round 21

St George Illawarra Dragons are enjoying their best NRL season in years, yet they face a must-win clash against the Penrith Panthers in Wollongong on Sunday.

The Dragons enter round 21 in ninth place on the NRL ladder, equal with the sixth-placed Bulldogs but behind on points differential.

However, with four top-eight sides coming up in their next five matches, rugby league bookmakers are down on their chances of making the finals for the first time since 2018.

Neds has the Dragons at $3 to make the top eight, while the odds for them to miss are at $1.40, indicating time is running out.

Defeat the Panthers for the second time this season, however, and this market would shift significantly.

Panthers match to test Dragons’ mettle

Regardless of how the Dragons’ season unfolds over the next two months, the club has had a much-improved campaign from last year.

In 2023, the Wollongong-based side only manage five wins from 24 fixtures. This year, the Saints have already won almost twice that, bagging nine victories to just eight losses so far.

One of these wins was over the Panthers in early June, where the Dragons went to BlueBet Stadium as heavy underdogs but prevailed 22-10.

On Sunday, they will be once again at long odds to defeat the three-time defending champions.

Penrith are paying just $1.25 to defeat the Dragons, while the home side is returning a hefty $4 for victory with online bookmakers.

This is largely due to the fact that the Panthers will be back at full strength this weekend for the first time since May, with halves combination Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai back in action.

Penrith sit second on the table and are looking to make a late-season surge for the minor premiership, with coach Ivan Cleary saying this week they “have a lot more to give”.

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