Brad Inger previews the round 22 clash between the Warriors and the Bulldogs at Mount Smart Stadium. Here’s what we have to look forward to.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
New Zealand Warriors Vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Venue: Mount Smart Stadium
Date: Friday August 12, 6:00pm (8:00pm NZ time)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesWarriors: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Viliami Vailea 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Ed Kosi 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Euan Aitken 12. Jack Murchie 13. Josh Curran 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Eliesa Katoa 17. Jackson Frei 18. Bayley Sironen 20. Adam Pompey 21. Taniela Otukolo 22. Tom Ale 23. Rocco Berry
Plenty of changes for the home side, with Daejarn Asi returning to the halves, this sees Wayde Egan back at hooker and Freddy Lussick moved to the interchange. Viliami Vailea returns from injury to the centres, which means Euan Aitken is back in the second row in place of Bailey Sironen, who has moved to the extended bench. Josh Curran replaces the injured Aaron Pene at lock, and new Storm signing Eliesa Katoa has been named on the bench.
Embed from Getty ImagesBulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7.Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Jackson 12. Jackson Topine 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Joe Stimson 16. Harrison Edwards 17. Chris Patolo 19. Declan Casey 20. Kurtis Morrin 21. Bailey Biondi-Odo 22. Jeral Skelton 23. Phillip Makatoa
Tevita Pangai Jnr is out of the match with Raymond Faitala-Mariner starting at Lock. Harrison Edwards is promoted onto the bench this week after being named on the extended reserves last week.
Referee: Chris Butler
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Warriors come in round 22 after an embarrassing 48-10 defeat to the Rabbitohs in which they never showed up to compete. They are still in contention for the Wooden Spoon if they continue to struggle with their defensive line, currently taking the unfortunate honours of most points conceded in the NRL.
The Bulldogs come in round 22 off the back of a tough 28-14 defeat to the Cowboys. They showed that they could go toe to toe with a top four side, and while a match against the Warriors should be an easier assignment, the Bulldogs will need to improve their completion rate by showing the ball more respect.
Defence will be the key to getting the win here. Finals footy is off the cards for both sides, which means this could be the perfect chance for both sides to release the shackles and play some exciting football. The Bulldog’s dangerous backs will be targeting the home side’s poor defence on the edges, while the Warriors will be focused on utilizing their strong middles to set the platform to let Reece Walsh make some highlights.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
In the 36 clashes between these sides, the Bulldogs have a slight edge, winning 18 to the Warriors 16; they have also battled to two draws. The last match between these sides was Round 22 of the 2021 season, which the Warriors won 24-10, which was their third in a row against the Bulldogs, who have not one this contest since their 27-26 victory in Round 23 of the 2018 season.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Bulldogs by 10
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