Dugan to stake Origin claim as Dragons face Monday night curse
By MITCH JENNINGS
May 10, 2015, 8:04 p.m.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Dragons fullback Josh Dugan's chances of claiming the vacant NSW No 1 jumper have received a boost, with the Blues incumbent set to be a late inclusion for Monday night's clash with the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium.
Scans cleared Dugan of any serious structural damage to his right knee after an awkward collision with Kiwi forward Greg Eastwood in Australia's 26-12 loss to New Zealand last Sunday.
Dragons medical staff said the 24-year-old had suffered a "contusion" to his right thigh and would be monitored in the lead up to Monday's clash.
Dugan completed Sunday's captain's run with his right thigh strapped and should he pull up without any soreness on Monday will take his place in the Dragons line-up, with Peter Mata'utia - who was named at fullback on Tuesday - likely to play on the wing.
With only two games remaining before Laurie Daley meets with selectors to pick his side for Origin I, a strong performance against the Rabbitohs would give Dugan the inside running for the No 1 jumper.
Daley will undoubtedly be a keen observer of Monday night's match, with Adam Reynolds also expected to make his long-awaited return from injury in time to press his claims for an Origin debut.
The Dragons will be looking to buck a trend of poor performances in the NRL's most dreaded time-slot with just one win from their past 13 Monday night fixtures, including two losses in opening rounds this season.
Coach Paul McGregor admits he is no fan of Monday night football but said the scheduling may have worked in his side's favour this week with Dugan and the five other members of the club's rep contingent all benefiting from a week-long recovery period.
"I don't like Monday night games to be totally honest," McGregor said.
"But when you've got players coming back from the representative weekend, you like to give them a 48-72 hour window where they can get over that without disruption to the preparation. We were obviously playing good footy before [the break] but a few of the guys were a little bit busted, so we needed it."
While the week off halted a six-game hot streak for the Dragons, the Rabbitohs will be looking to avoid their fourth straight loss on Monday. Luke Keary and Dylan Walker will both play after withdrawing from the City side, while John Sutton and possibly Reynolds will return. It makes for a formidable task but McGregor said there is no ideal time to get the defending premiers.
"Every week is tough in the NRL and they're a very, very good side," McGregor said.
"It's the last week of a tough block for us.
"We had the Bulldogs, we had Brisbane, we had the Roosters and now we've got Souths. They're all tipped to be in the top six of the competition and this week's no different to those other games. We'll just prepare the best we can to get the outcome."
http://ift.tt/1H7Em1N
Dugan to stake Origin claim as Dragons face Monday night curse
By MITCH JENNINGS
May 10, 2015, 8:04 p.m.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Dragons fullback Josh Dugan's chances of claiming the vacant NSW No 1 jumper have received a boost, with the Blues incumbent set to be a late inclusion for Monday night's clash with the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium.
Scans cleared Dugan of any serious structural damage to his right knee after an awkward collision with Kiwi forward Greg Eastwood in Australia's 26-12 loss to New Zealand last Sunday.
Dragons medical staff said the 24-year-old had suffered a "contusion" to his right thigh and would be monitored in the lead up to Monday's clash.
Dugan completed Sunday's captain's run with his right thigh strapped and should he pull up without any soreness on Monday will take his place in the Dragons line-up, with Peter Mata'utia - who was named at fullback on Tuesday - likely to play on the wing.
With only two games remaining before Laurie Daley meets with selectors to pick his side for Origin I, a strong performance against the Rabbitohs would give Dugan the inside running for the No 1 jumper.
Daley will undoubtedly be a keen observer of Monday night's match, with Adam Reynolds also expected to make his long-awaited return from injury in time to press his claims for an Origin debut.
The Dragons will be looking to buck a trend of poor performances in the NRL's most dreaded time-slot with just one win from their past 13 Monday night fixtures, including two losses in opening rounds this season.
Coach Paul McGregor admits he is no fan of Monday night football but said the scheduling may have worked in his side's favour this week with Dugan and the five other members of the club's rep contingent all benefiting from a week-long recovery period.
"I don't like Monday night games to be totally honest," McGregor said.
"But when you've got players coming back from the representative weekend, you like to give them a 48-72 hour window where they can get over that without disruption to the preparation. We were obviously playing good footy before [the break] but a few of the guys were a little bit busted, so we needed it."
While the week off halted a six-game hot streak for the Dragons, the Rabbitohs will be looking to avoid their fourth straight loss on Monday. Luke Keary and Dylan Walker will both play after withdrawing from the City side, while John Sutton and possibly Reynolds will return. It makes for a formidable task but McGregor said there is no ideal time to get the defending premiers.
"Every week is tough in the NRL and they're a very, very good side," McGregor said.
"It's the last week of a tough block for us.
"We had the Bulldogs, we had Brisbane, we had the Roosters and now we've got Souths. They're all tipped to be in the top six of the competition and this week's no different to those other games. We'll just prepare the best we can to get the outcome."
http://ift.tt/1H7Em1N
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire