Dragons vs Sharks NRL Rd 3 betting tips – Thursday, March 24

Round 3 of the 2022 NRL Premiership gets underway with a classic derby game on Thursday evening as the St George Illawarra Dragons take on the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Wollongong. Both teams have showed plenty of promise at different points in their opening two games, and one gets the feeling this game could be used as a launching pad for the winner to have a good season.

Cronulla do come in as the betting favourite, but the Dragons showed in a 20-16 loss to Penrith that if perhaps they got the rub of the green from the officials, they may have had it in them to beat the reigning premiers. While that sounds like a big ‘if’, it’s important to remember how Saints finished last year, and when you think about it in that manner it shows the enormous improvement they’ve gone through.

Cronulla had to rely on Nicho Hynes kicking a goal from the sideline to win on the siren at home against Parramatta, but the reality is their defence in that contest was outstanding. Keeping the Eels to just two tries, while being able to score four of their own, shows they are going to be a thorn in the side of every other team this year.

The Dragons will be without Jaydn Su’a for the game, with the Queensland backrower set to serve a suspension for a late hit which saw him put in the sin bin last Friday night. It will be a big blow for the Saints, with Su’a showing some terrific form to start the year, averaging almost 150 metres per game.

A 1-12 point Dragons win is going to net punters a $3.30 price with Sportsbet, which is a pretty good way to start the betting slip for this game. They did win slightly more of their games by this margin in 2021 and have fallen into this bracket on both occasions to start the new season. St George traditionally start well and fade, which is another reason to back them at this price.

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Mikaele Ravalawa has been outstanding on the right wing and missed out on a try last round, so you can be sure he will be back in the mix for this contest.

This game will also be the first between the clubs in Wollongong since 2018, which ended in a resounding 40-20 Dragons win.

Cronulla won against Parramatta without the football, and they should believe they can do the same against their old rival.

They would have gained enormous belief in the defensive mindset Craig Fitzgibbon is trying to build within the club, but by scoring four tries, they showed that flair and pizazz that has been their identity in the past two seasons still exists to some extent.

Physically, the Sharks controlled an excellent Parramatta forward pack, but they’ll need to go up another gear for this derby. No matter where these two clubs sit on the ladder, they are expected to beat one another.

Teig Wilton will miss the game due to suspension, and it will be a bigger loss than most think, with the young backrower proving a vital cog on the left edge in the opening two games. He has tries in both games, including the match winner against Parramatta.

Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa both crossed in their last start, and as is the rule with Sharks games, back them both because more often than not one of them, if not both, will cross the stripe in any given game.

Dragons vs Sharks betting predictions

Whatever way the game goes, it will end in a 1-12 margin. The Saints look primed for an upset on their home deck, with their traditional fast start playing into the motive.

Dragons vs Sharks NRL same-game multi

The Dragons by 1-12 with Mikaele Ravalawa and Nicho Hynes both to score tries gets you $26.50 at Sportsbet.

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