St George Illawarra Dragons vs Sydney Roosters Prediction – Round 19 2025

The Sydney Roosters will be looking to bounce back from a shock loss to the Tigers when they travel to face the Dragons at Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.

The biggest news heading into this game is the return of Roosters halfback Sam Walker who returns from an ACL injury after nearly a year out.

His inclusion means that, somewhat cruelly, Sandon Smith is dropped to the reserves. It was Smith after all who was awarded best on ground on ANZAC Day in the reverse of this fixture, when he scored two tries as his side ran out 46-18 winners.

Can Walker pick up where Smith left off? Or will the Dragons be able to bounce back from their narrow loss to the table topping Raiders last week and bounce the boys from Bondi? Let’s find out.

Let’s take a look at how both of these sides will line up here, as well as some betting tips for the H2H, first try scorer, and over/under markets. This is our Dragons vs Roosters prediction.

 

Dragons vs Roosters Teams

 

St George Illawarra Dragons Team List

1. Clint Gutherson

2. Tyrell Sloan 

3. Moses Suli

4. Valentine Holmes

5. Sione Finau

6. Lyhkan King-Togia

7. Kyle Flanagan

8. Emre Guler

9. Damien Cook

10. David Klemmer

11. Luciano Leilua

12. Jaydn Su'A

13. Jack de Belin

14. Jacob Liddle

15. Hamish Stewart

16. Blake Lawrie

17. Michael Molo

 

Sydney Roosters Team List

1. James Tedesco

2. Daniel Tupou

3. Billy Smith

4. Robert Toia

5. Mark Nawaqanitawase

6. Hugo Savala

7. Sam Walker

8. Naufahu Whyte

9. Connor Watson

10. Lindsay Collins

11. Angus Crichton

12. Salesi Foketi

13. Victor Radley

14. Zach Dockar-Clay

15. Blake Steep

16. Egan Butcher

17. Spencer Leniu

Dragons vs Roosters Prediction and Betting Tips

 

Head-to-Head Prediction

Two sides who are flirting with finals footy, but will this be the week one of them makes their intentions known.

Sitting 9th and 11th respectively, both the Dragons and the Roosters have the top eight in their sights, so a win here is beyond crucial.

Both sides were on the wrong end of narrow defeats last start, however the calibre of opposition couldn’t have been much different.

The Dragons pushed the table-topping Raiders all the way down in Canberra, falling just four points short of an ambush for the ages.

The Roosters on the other hand, were pipped by the lowly Tigers, as Latu, Sione and Samuela Fainu became the first three brothers to all score in the same game.

Those two results have drastically changed the complexion of this encounter and seeing as they are at home, we’re actually going to hunt a bit of value and take the Dragons.

Betting tip: St George Illawarra Dragons.

 

First Try Scorer Prediction

Mark Nawaqanitawase returns to the wing to accommodate Robert Toia who has been named to back up from Origin, can only be a good thing for those looking for a tip in this market.

Nawaqanitawase can take a mark like no other and his aerial prowess was being somewhat underutilised a man in at centre.

Back to the wing and with Sam Walker’s pin point kicking game back in the side, look to the Roosters to take to the skies earlier to send Marky Mark over for a four-pointer.

Betting tip: Mark Nawaqanitawase.

 

Over/Under Prediction

For whatever reason, when these two traditional rivals meet, the points pour on down.

Each of the last six matches between St George and the Roosters have gone over the total match points line.

Six matches in a row is no coincidence and as a result, we’ll be tipping this to become number seven in a row.

Betting tip: Over total match points.

Dragons vs Roosters Match Details

 

Date: Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Kick-off: 5:30pm AEST.

Location: Jubilee Stadium, Sydney.