John I Dent Cup Round 3 Preview and stats breakdown

As Round 2 of the John I Dent Cup has come and gone, we now look ahead to the next weekend of action and what better time to preview the upcoming matches!

With even more stats to dive into after last weekend, we can start to get a better idea of each teams style and strengths early in 2024.

See our full stats breakdown ahead of Round 3 Below:

• Tuggeranong Vikings have managed to close in on Wests at the top of the table to equal their for and against after the Lions, just managed to get on top in a close affair against Uni-Norths.
• Managing their first win of the year, Gungahlin has shot up to third position after their statement game over the Whites where they put up a tally oof 55 points.
• Uni-Norths are still winless after coming agonisingly close last week, just failing to close out the match against Wests.
• Queanbeyan showed plenty of grit, however remain at the bottom after falling victim to a Gungahlin masterclass in Round 2.

• Following a three try haul including a match winner on the buzzer, Luke Kilkeary becomes the leading try scorer with four, after Round 2.
• Fellow Wests back Declan Meredith shoots to equal first with Louis Bartley-Saena on the leading point scorers after securing 25 in Wests 2 point win.
• Also separated from the pack of try scorers in Royals Lincoln Smith, after finding his way over the line yet again in Round 2 to make it three for the season.

• Wests continue to prove they are unstoppable as the side has the highest total points in the competition with the sides backs running amuck in both their opening matches.
• Despite being the only other side without a loss, Tuggeranong have 18 less total points than Wests as they continue to show their calculated play when it counts.
• Queanbeyan are currently a fair margin behind the pack early with just 29 points as they head into their next match against the defensively strong Vikings.

• Making the most of their tries, Wests have a clear lead on the rest of the pack with 11 conversions showing that fullback Declan Meredith certainly knows how to capitalise on scoring opportunities.
• The Canberra Royals also show their knack for game management through Scrumhalf Pedro Rolando opting to take penalty shots more than any other team as the side in blue boasts three more three-pointers than any other side.
• Taking into account both conversions and penalties Wests remain the most accurate side off the boot, with success as follows: Wests - 93% (13/14), Uni-Norths 80% (8/10), Queanbeyan 80% (4/5), Royals 75% (9/12), Tuggeranong 69% (9/13), Gungahlin 64% (9/14).

• The Royals remain the only side perfect in their scrum feeds with a 100% success rate, while the Whites continue to struggle with just a 74% retention of the ball.
• Royals also keep proving they are dangerous around the ruck with the most turnovers in the competition with 15, interestingly with Tuggeranong in last with just 5 despite having such dominant possession.
• Wests running game has never looked more threatening as they boast seven line breaks while Uni-Norths, Gungahlin and Queanbeyan still have a donut to their name in that category.
• Queanbeyan are also still shooting themselves in the foot with the most penalties conceded by a fair margin, averaging 21.5 a game after 2 rounds.

Bonus Stats!

• All sides have just the one yellow card, with the exception of Queanbeyan who have two.
• Last Round Royals v Tuggeranong had the highest ball in play time with 35 minutes compared to Queanbeyan v Gungahlin (31) and Uni-Norths v Wests (28).

• Our match predictor is back at it this week and it puts the Royals at a 68% winning percentage to the Owls 32%.
• Neither side will be boasting about the record in the last five competition matches as Royals have just two wins while the Owls only have one.
• Home for the Royals at Phillip Enclosed, the sides home ground advantage since 2015 isn't so much of an 'advantage' winning just 49% at the ground.

• The best home ground advantage since 2015 in the competition by a good margin is at Viking Park as the Tuggeranong side boast a whopping 80% winning record at the ground since.
• Matching their home ground advantage, our match predictor places Tuggeranong att 80% odds too take out the match.
• Tuggeranong have a respectable three wins in their last five competition matches while Queanbeyan have been battling with a one win, one draw and three losses record.

• Our match predictors has the home side in Wests in an uphill battle with a 41% winning chance compared to Gungahlin's 59%.
• Wests have struggled at their home in Jamison with a losing record at their ground since 2015 with just a 39% home field advantage.
• In what is shaping to be a blockbuster Match of the Round, both sides come into the match with winning records in their last five John I Dent Cup matches. Gungahlin just get the better of Wests however with a 4-1 record compared to the Lions 3-2.