Two bottom-four clubs will be looking for a much-needed win to turn their seasons around when the Canterbury Bulldogs face off against the Newcastle Knights at Accor Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs Newcastle Knights
Venue: Accor Stadium
Date: Sunday July 2, 2:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Bulldogs: 1. Hayze Perham 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Jake Averillo 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Khaled Rajab 7. Matt Burton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Jayden Okunbor 12. Jacob Preston 13. Kurtis Morrin 14. Harrison Edwards 15. Ryan Sutton 16. Franklin Pele 17. Jackson Topine 19. Reece Hoffman 20. Kyle Flanagan 21. Corey Waddell 22. Braidon Burns 23. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Adam Elliott 14. Kurt Mann 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Mathew Croker 18. Dylan Lucas 19. Brodie Jones 20. Lachlan Miller 21. Jack Johns 22. Adam Clune
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Both teams head into round 18 on a three-match losing streak, with the Knights missing a golden chance to knock off a depleted Panthers side last week. Meanwhile, the Dogs are coming off their second bye of the season and now face an extremely tough month ahead with matches against the Rabbitohs, Broncos and Panthers to follow this one.
The Bulldogs have given a first NRL start to youngster Khaled Rajab, who takes over from Karl Oloapu at five-eighth and has been electric in short bursts of opportunity so far. Max King replaces Chris Patolo in the front row, while Jackson Topine and Harrison Edwards join the interchange.
Much of the Bulldogs hopes will again rest on the shoulders of playmaker Matt Burton who hasn’t played for the Bulldogs since round 15 due to representative duty. Burton will be looking to not just get an important win, but also to catch the eye of NSW Origin selectors after being 18th man, pushing his claims for either a bench utility or starting role for game 3.
For the Knights, Lachlan Fitzgibbon returns from concussion at the expense of Dylan Lucas, while Enari Tuala has replaced the injured Dane Gagai in the centres who will be a big loss after arguably his best season so far in a Newcastle jersey.
Kalyn Ponga is once again the man to spearhead the Knights assault with the football, having now scored a try in four of his last six games since returning from injury. Over that span the Knights have been competitive once again and the attack has showed more spark.
Off the back of Ponga’s return, young departing winger Dom Young has been on a scoring spree himself, scoring seven tries since the return of Ponga and also putting himself in the race to lead all try scorers this year. The Knights have shown they can be spectacular, but being consistent is still the key question each week.
Whilst the Knights attack has shown glimpses of being a top eight side, it may very well be the much less heralded players in the middle where this game will be won or lost for the Knights. The pack has at times been underwhelming but is now at full strength including the return of Origin representative Tyson Frizell. Against a competitive Bulldogs pack with firebrands like Tevita Pangai Jr, this shapes as a fascinating contest.
Mistakes and defensive lapses have been hallmarks of both club’s seasons and that will dictate who comes out with the two points when the siren goes off in the 80th minute Sunday. Right now, it appears hard to pick, with the contest likely coming down to the wire and probably relying on some magic from each teams star playmakers.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Bulldogs 6, Knights 4
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Knights by 6 points.
Follow Nothing But Rugby League on Facebook
