Dragons v Roosters NRL tips, odds & multi – Round 12, 2023

Indigenous Round for the 2023 NRL Premiership continues on Friday night with the St George Illawarra Dragons hosting the Sydney Roosters at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

The Dragons have sacked Anthony Griffin as coach, with the possibility of club captain Ben Hunt leaving as well. With the club in turmoil, do the Saints have enough in the tank to fire up and make amends for their narrow loss against the Roosters on ANZAC Day?

The Roosters have been forced to make several changes with Joseph Manu (ankle) and Sam Walker (knee) both suffering injuries last week. Drew Hutchison has been named to start at halfback with Luke Keary shifting the five-eighth role and Jake Turpin named on the bench.

The Dragons have also made several changes with interim coach Ryan Carr naming his first side. Zac Lomax has been recalled into the centres, Jacob Liddle has been named at hooker and Jayden Sullivan is on the interchange bench.

Both of these clubs are facing a variety of issues on and off the field. The Roosters are lacking cohesion as players continue to succumb to injury, while the Dragons’ off-field dramas continue to compound.

Experts around the game have posited the Roosters may have too many stars in their side. If true, the losses of Manu and Walker could ignite a simpler, more successful brand of football. Look for the Chooks to be strong in the middle third of the field and secure a much-needed win at $1.44 with BetOnline.

It is difficult to assess where the Roosters’ success will come from. However, fans and punters can be sure that, with State of Origin on the horizon, James Tedesco will be determined to remind New South Wales Blues fans why he is the best fullback in the game and the captain of his state.

Many experts have labelled Manu’s running game as the reason for Tedesco’s indifferent form, as he is not getting enough possession in good attacking space. This should change with Hutchison and Keary in the halves, making Tedesco decent value at $2.40 in the anytime tryscorer market.

Sitili Tupouniua has been named to make his first start in the NRL since suffering an ACL injury in 2022. At the peak of his powers, Tupouniua’s late footwork, great hands and ball skills made him one of the most dangerous and skilful second-rowers in the NRL. Marking up on the smaller Jack Bird should give Tupouniua the opportunity to score a try at some stage in the game ($3.80).

Key matchup: De Belin v Radley

Jack De Belin vs Victor Radley

The battle in the middle between these two highly skilful forwards will be one of the highlights of the evening. Although he has been named at prop, Jack De Belin will likely play more of a ‘lock’ role for the Saints, as Victor Radley does for the Sydney Roosters, helping to move the ball in the middle third of the field and link both sides of the field. Both players work incredibly hard for their sides while also showing off the flashy plays. Whoever can control the middle better will put their team in prime position to win this game.

Dragons v Roosters match prediction

Dragons v Roosters same game multi

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