Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 12 clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and St George Illawarra Dragons.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs St George Illawarra Dragons
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Thursday 23 May, 7:50pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey, 2. Jacob Kiraz, 3. Bronson Xerri, 4. Stephen Crichton, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Matt Burton, 7. Drew Hutchison, 8. Max King, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Samuel Hughes, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Jaeman Salmon, 13. Kurt Mann, 14. Bailey Hayward, 15. Josh Curran, 16. Kurtis Morrin, 17. Jacob Preston, 19. Poasa Faamausili, 20. Blake Taaffe, 21. Jake Turpin, 22. Blake Wilson, 23. Toby Sexton
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan, 2. Zac Lomax, 3. Moses Suli, 4. Jack Bird, 5. Mikaele Ravalawa, 6. Kyle Flanagan, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. Francis Molo, 9. Jacob Liddle, 10. Hame Sele, 11. Tom Eisenhuth, 12. Jaydn Su’A, 13. Jack de Belin, 14. Fa’amanu Brown, 15. Blake Lawrie, 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 17. Luciano Leilua, 18. Ben Murdoch-Masila, 19. Mathew Feagai, 20. Alec Tuitavake, 21. Toby Couchman, 22. Jesse Marschke
Referee: Adam Gee
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Kicking off NRL Indigenous Round on Thursday night is a clash between two sides battling for a spot in the top eight, the Bulldogs (Dharug, Bidjigal/Bediagal) and Dragons (Dharawal & Yuin).
For the Bulldogs, Cameron Ciraldo has made just one change to his side that went down to the Raiders in Magic Round. Jaeman Salmon has overcome a staph infection that kept him out last week and returns to take his place in the back row. Poasa Faamausili drops out of the 17.
Ciraldo will be disappointed with the lack of discipline last week, as his side blew an eight-point lead to the Raiders in the second half. With State of Origin sides picked at the end of the round, there are several Bulldogs players in contention for spots that have opened up due to injury. Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton, and Josh Addo-Carr are all in the mix to be selected for New South Wales in their respective positions. We can expect big performances from all three as the Bulldogs look for a bounce-back win.
For the Dragons, they come into this game well-rested after a bye in Magic Round. Shane Flanagan has made one change to his side that took the field in Round 10, with Luciano Leilua returning on the bench and Ben Murdoch-Masila dropping out of the 17.
Much like the Bulldogs, the Dragons have several players vying for Origin selection. Ben Hunt and Jaydn Su’a are big chances to be named for Queensland, while Zac Lomax is one of the frontrunners to land a wing spot for New South Wales. Before their Magic Round bye, the Dragons re-discovered their early season form by dispatching the Rabbitohs 28-14. They should come into this one with no excuses and the physical advantage over the Bulldogs, who are fresh off a grueling encounter with the Raiders.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Dragons by 2 points.
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