THE Dragons led the competition for much of the opening 16 rounds, but are now in danger of dropping out of the top four for the first time in Round 19.

Paul McGregor’s men travel to play the Cowboys in Townsville, which given both clubs’ form lines throughout the season, should be a walk in the park for the Dragons.

However, Townsville is never an easy place to play, especially coming off two consecutive losses.

The Dragons currently sit third on 26 points with a points differential of plus 111.

Round 20

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Scroll below for our full Round 19 preview in The Big Picture!

While it’s a premiership contender up against an also-ran, Michael Ennis warns this game could make or break the Red V’s season.

“Massive game, massive game for the Dragons,” Ennis told Fox League.

“The Cowboys are shot, they tried extremely hard (against Canberra) ... this is huge for Paul McGregor. I think they need to find confidence more than anything.

“They are in a position where they will play finals but they need to find confidence before they start to get some mental demons.”

The in-form Roosters are fourth on 24 points with a points differential of plus 103, while the Panthers are fifth, also on 24 points, with a points differential of plus 96.

The Roosters are capable of racking up a big score against Manly on Sunday, which would see them jump the Dragons if they lose to the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, the Panthers welcome back their representative stars when they take on the Broncos, who were walloped by the Warriors at home last week.

If the Panthers also rack up a score against the Broncos, they could potentially surpass the Dragons, leaving McGregor’s men out of the top four for the first time this season.

Many pundits are tipping the Dragons for a late season slide given their form in the last two weeks, but prop Paul Vaughan said it would be foolish to write them off.

“I’m sure we’ll prove them wrong,” Vaughan said.

“We’ve got a great side here. You see the boys playing representative football, it’s a good reflection on the team and how they’re going.

“So if teams are going to underestimate us, it’s just on their head.

“But we’ve got a great team here and the boys are building towards something special.”

The Rabbitohs and the Storm are now joint competition favourites at $4.50, while the Dragons have slipped to fifth at $8.00.

Another loss to the lowly Cowboys would be sure to push the Dragons’ premiership odds out even further.

Read on for our full Round 19 preview in The Big Picture!

THURSDAY

Parramatta Eels v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

ANZ Stadium, 7.50pm

Eels: 1 Clint Gutherson (c), 2 Bevan French, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Jarryd Hayne, 5 George Jennings, 6 Corey Norman, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Daniel Alvaro, 9 Kaysa Pritchard, 10 Siosaia Vave, 11 Marata Niukore, 12 Brad Takairangi, 13 Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14 Tepai Moeroa, 15 Tim Mannah (c), 16 David Gower, 17 Peni Terepo

Reserves: 18 Kane Evans, 19 Jaeman Salmon, 20 Suaia Matagi, 21 Reed Mahoney

Bulldogs: 1 Will Hopoate, 2 Brett Morris, 3 Josh Morris, 4 Kerrod Holland, 5 Reimis Smith, 6 Lachlan Lewis, 7 Jeremy Marshall-King, 8 Aiden Tolman, 9 Michael Lichaa, 10 David Klemmer, 11 Josh Jackson (c), 12 Rhyse Martin, 13 Adam Elliott

Interchange: 14 Fa’amanu Brown, 15 Clay Priest, 16 Ofahiki Ogden, 17 Danny Fualalo

Reserves: 18 Greg Eastwood, 19 Matthew Frawley, 20 Francis Tualau, 21 John Olive

The talking point: The Eels welcome back Kaysa Pritchard for their clash with their archrivals the Bulldogs. Both teams may be cellar-dwellers in 2018, but will be looking to finish the season on a high, which should make for some fireworks.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The two teams have been streaky at Homebush as Parramatta won eight of nine between 2007-10, then Canterbury won nine of 10 between 2011-15, and the Eels had won four straight since 2016 before losing the most recent match earlier this season.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Eels $1.68, Bulldogs $2.20

Our prediction: Eels by 4

FRIDAY

Cronulla Sutherland Sharks v Canberra Raiders

Southern Cross Group Stadium, 6pm

Sharks: 1 Valentine Holmes, 2 Sione Katoa, 3 Jesse Ramien, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Edrick Lee, 6 Matt Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Andrew Fifita, 9 Jayden Brailey, 10 Matt Prior, 11 Scott Sorensen, 12 Wade Graham, 13 (c)

Interchange: 14 Joseph Paulo, 15 James Segeyaro, 16 Aaron Woods, 17 Jayson Bukuya

Reserves: 18 Ava Seumanufagai, 19 Sosaia Feki, 20 Kurt Dillon, 21 Kyle Flanagan

Raiders: 1 Brad Abbey, 2 Nick Cotric, 3 Michael Oldfield, 4 Joseph Leilua, 5 Jordan Rapana, 6 Sam Williams, 7 Aidan Sezer, 8 Dunamis Lui, 9 Josh Hodgson (c), 10 Junior Paulo, 11 Sia Soliola, 12 Elliott Whitehead, 13 Josh Papalii

Interchange: 14 Blake Austin, 15 Luke Bateman, 16 Siliva Havili, 17 Liam Knight

Reserves: 18 Craig Garvey, 19 Jack Murchie, 20 Royce Hunt, 21 Emre Guler

The talking point: Club legend Luke Lewis announced his retirement during the week and while he won’t line up against the Raiders, his teammates will want to finish the season strong, so that Lewis can go out on a high.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Over the past 10 matches, the away team has won each match in this fixture, with the Raiders winning the past four at Shark Park. The last home team to win was the Sharks in Rd 10, 2013.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Sharks $1.50, Raiders $2.60

Our prediction: Sharks by 8

Brisbane Broncos v Penrith Panthers

Suncorp Stadium, 7.50pm

Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Jordan Kahu, 5 Jamayne Isaako, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 8 Matthew Lodge, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Sam Thaiday, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Tevita Pangai, 13 Josh McGuire

Interchange: 14 Kotoni Staggs, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 16 Korbin Sims, 17 Patrick Mago

Reserves: 18 Gehamat Shibasaki, 19 David Fifita, 20 Sam Tagataese, 21 Troy Dargan

Panthers: 1 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 2 Josh Mansour, 3 Waqa Blake, 4 Dean Whare, 5 Christian Crichton, 6 James Maloney (c), 7 Nathan Cleary, 8 Trent Merrin, 9 Sione Katoa, 10 James Tamou, 11 Viliame Kikau, 12 Isaah Yeo, 13 James Fisher-Harris

Interchange: 14 Tyrone Peachey, 15 Corey Harawira-Naera, 16 Jack Hetherington, 17 Moses Leota

Reserves: 18 Jarome Luai, 19 Tyrone May, 20 Kaide Ellis, 21 Wayde Egan

The talking point: The Panthers welcome back star quartet Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Josh Mansour, James Maloney and Nathan Cleary and have a real opportunity to push the under pressure Broncos closer to possibly missing the finals.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: A win for the Broncos would be Wayne Bennett’s 500th as coach in his 806th match. His nearest rival is Tim Sheens who won 340 wins.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Broncos $1.86, Panthers $1.95

Our prediction: Panthers by 8

SATURDAY

Newcastle Knights v Gold Coast Titans

McDonald Jones Stadium, 3pm

Knights: 1 Nick Meaney, 2 Ken Sio, 3 Cory Denniss, 4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 5 Nathan Ross, 6 Connor Watson, 7 Mitchell Pearce (c), 8 Josh King, 9 Danny Levi, 10 Daniel Saifiti, 11 Aidan Guerra, 12 Mitch Barnett, 13 Herman Ese’ese

Interchange: 14 Jamie Buhrer (c), 15 Chris Heighington, 16 Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 17 Jacob Lillyman

Reserves: 18 Brent Naden, 19 Sam Stone, 20 Jack Cogger, 21 JJ Felise

Titans: 1 Michael Gordon, 2 Anthony Don, 3 Konrad Hurrell, 4 Brenko Lee, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 AJ Brimson, 7 Ashley Taylor, 8 Jarrod Wallace, 9 Nathan Peats, 10 Ryan James (c), 11 Kevin Proctor, 12 Keegan Hipgrave, 13 Jai Arrow

Interchange: 14 Mitch Rein, 15 Moeaki Fotuaika, 16 Jack Stockwell, 17 Will Matthews

Reserves: 18 Leilani Latu, 19 Brendan Elliot, 20 Jai Whitbread, 21 Morgan Boyle

The talking point: The last time these sides clashed they produced a 33-26 classic at Cbus Super Stadium, but with injuries to Kalyn Ponga and Sione Mata’utia the Knights may struggle to reverse the result this time.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The Titans have scored 26 points or more in five straight matches over the Knights and will be aiming for six straight matches against an opponent for the first time in club history.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Knights $1.98, Titans $1.83

Our prediction: Titans by 6

Wests Tigers v South Sydney Rabbitohs

ANZ Stadium, 5.30pm

Tigers: 1 Moses Mbye, 2 David Nofoaluma, 3 Esan Marsters, 4 Kevin Naiqama, 5 Corey Thompson, 6 Benji Marshall (c), 7 Luke Brooks, 8 Russell Packer, 9 Robbie Farah, 10 Ben Matulino, 11 Michael Chee Kam, 12 Josh Aloiai, 13 Elijah Taylor

Interchange: 14 Alex Twal, 15 Suaso Sue, 16 Luke Garner, 17 Matt Eisenhuth

Reserves: 18 Jacob Liddle, 19 Robbie Rochow, 20 Tim Grant, 21 Malakai Watene-Zelezniak

Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston, 2 Campbell Graham, 3 Hymel Hunt, 4 Dane Gagai, 5 Robert Jennings, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Adam Reynolds, 8 Thomas Burgess, 9 Damien Cook, 10 George Burgess, 11 John Sutton, 12 Angus Crichton, 13 Sam Burgess (c)

Interchange: 14 Adam Doueihi, 15 Cameron Murray, 16 Jason Clark, 17 Tevita Tatola

Reserves: 18 Mark Nicholls, 19 Billy Brittain, 20 Dean Britt, 21 Braidon Burns

The talking point: The Rabbitohs are looking for their 10th win in a row, but come up against a Tigers side that will fancy their chances after knocking off the former competition leading Dragons last weekend.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: John Sutton will become the first player to play 300 premiership games for South Sydney and the 32nd player overall to reach the milestone. Robbie Farah will play his 250th match for the Wests Tigers becoming the first player to do so.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Wests Tigers $3.30, Rabbitohs $1.34

Our prediction: Rabbitohs by 6

North Queensland Cowboys v St George Illawarra Dragons

1300SMILES Stadium, 7.30pm

Cowboys: 1 Lachlan Coote, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Enari Tuala, 4 Kane Linnett, 5 Justin O’Neill, 6 Te Maire Martin, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 8 John Asiata, 9 Jake Granville, 10 Scott Bolton, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Coen Hess, 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14 Ben Hampton, 15 Shaun Fensom, 16 Francis Molo, 17 Corey Jensen

Reserves: 18 Jake Clifford, 19 Ethan Lowe, 20 Mitchell Dunn, 21 Antonio Winterstein

Dragons: 1 Matt Dufty, 2 Nene Macdonald, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Tim Lafai, 5 Jason Nightingale, 6 Gareth Widdop (c), 7 Ben Hunt, 8 James Graham, 9 Cameron McInnes, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Jack de Belin

Interchange: 14 Jeremy Latimore, 15 Kurt Mann, 16 Leeson Ah Mau, 17 Luciano Leilua

Reserves: 18 Patrick Herbert, 19 Blake Lawrie, 20 Jai Field, 21 Jordan Pereira

The talking point: The Dragons will be hoping to avoid their third loss on the trot when they travel to Townsville, however they come up against a Cowboys team who have only won four games all season.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The Cowboys record is better in Queensland, winning eight of 10 matches against the Dragons. This will be just the fourth match in Townsville against the Dragons in the past 10 years.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Cowboys $2.55, Dragons $1.52

Our prediction: Dragons by 8

SUNDAY

Warriors v Melbourne Storm

Mt Smart Stadium, 2pm (AEST)

Warriors: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), 2 David Fusitu’a, 3 Gerard Beale, 4 Solomone Kata, 5 Ken Maumalo, 6 Blake Green, 7 Shaun Johnson, 8 James Gavet, 9 Issac Luke, 10 Agnatius Paasi, 11 Isaiah Papali’i, 12 Simon Mannering, 13 Adam Blair

Interchange: 14 Jazz Tevaga, 15 Chris Satae, 16 Joseph Vuna, 17 Peta Hiku

Reserves: 18 Mason Lino, 20 Karl Lawton, 21 Bunty Afoa, 22 Anthony Gelling

Storm: 1 Billy Slater, 2 Suliasi Vunivalu, 3 Will Chambers, 4 Curtis Scott, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Brodie Croft, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Cameron Smith (c), 10 Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 11 Felise Kaufusi, 12 Ryan Hoffman, 13 Kenny Bromwich

Interchange: 14 Tui Kamikamica, 15 Tim Glasby, 16 Christian Welch, 17 Brandon Smith

Reserves: 18 Jahrome Hughes, 19 Joe Stimson, 20 Dale Finucane, 21 Cheyse Blair

The talking point: The last time these two sides clashed, the Storm romped to a 52-10 win at AAMI Park. However, the Warriors are heading for their first finals berth in seven years and will want to round off the season on a high note to honour retiring club legend Simon Mannering.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The Storm have won the past five and nine of the past 12 matches against the Warriors and will be aiming to win six straight against them for the first time.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Warriors $2.27, Storm $1.64

Our prediction: Storm by 4

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Sydney Roosters

Lottoland, 4.10pm

Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trbojevic, 2 Matthew Wright, 3 Moses Suli, 4 Brian Kelly, 5 Bradley Parker, 6 Thomas Wright, 7 Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8 Addin Fonua-Blake, 9 Manase Fainu, 10 Martin Taupau, 11 Joel Thompson, 12 Shaun Lane, 13 Jake Trbojevic

Interchange: 14 Trent Hodkinson, 15 Kelepi Tanginoa, 16 Frank Winterstein, 17 Taniela Paseka

Reserves: 18 Jorge Taufua, 20 Tevita Funa, 21 Toafofoa Sipley, 22 Lloyd Perrett

Roosters: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Sio Siua Taukeiaho, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Victor Radley, 13 Isaac Liu

Interchange: 14 Ryan Matterson, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Mitchell Aubusson, 17 Kurt Baptiste

Reserves: 18 Nat Butcher, 19 Lindsay Collins, 20 Matthew Ikuvalu, 21 Sean O’Sullivan

The talking point: The Sea Eagles will be up against it with the in-form Roosters welcoming back James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell, Cooper Cronk, Boyd Cordner, Victor Radley and Mitchell Aubusson.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: This will be the 50th head-to-head meeting between these two sides at Brookvale, with Manly winning 36 and the Roosters just 13. The Roosters become the fourth team to play 50 matches against Manly at Brookvale behind the Eels (64), Bulldogs (59) and Rabbitohs (56).

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Sea Eagles $2.50, Roosters $1.54

Our prediction: Roosters by 12