Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 9 clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Wests Tigers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs Wests Tigers
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Saturday 4th May, 3:00pm
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. Josh Curran, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Jaeman Salmon, 13. Kurt Mann, 14. Bailey Hayward, 15. Samuel Hughes, 16. Kurtis Morrin, 17. Blake Taaffe, 19. Blake Wilson, 20. Poasa Faamausili, 21. Toby Sexton, 22. Jacob Preston, 23. Jake Turpin
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula, 2. Charlie Staines, 3. Brent Naden, 4. Justin Olam, 5. Solomon Alaimalo, 6. Lachlan Galvin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Stefano Utoikamanu, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. David Klemmer, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Samuela Fainu, 13. John Bateman, 14. Latu Fainu, 15. Alex Twal, 16. Alex Seyfarth, 17. Fonua Pole, 18. Jake Simpkin, 19. Starford To’a, 20. Asu Kepaoa, 21. Alexander Lobb, 22. Solomona Faataape
Referee: Kasey Badger
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Fresh off the bye in round 8, the Bulldogs host the Tigers at Accor Stadium in a bid to maintain the hot form that saw them thump the Knights 36-12 the week prior.
For the Bulldogs, Kurt Mann returns from a hand injury at lock with Josh Curran shifting to the front row to replace the injured Chris Patolo. Jacob Preston has been named in the reserves and is a chance to return from a broken jaw that’s kept him sidelined since round 4.
The Bulldogs hit a purple patch of form prior to their bye, which is seeing them contend with some of the competition front runners. They built off a close 2 point loss to the Storm with a strong win against the Knights in round 7. The left edge combination of Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau is building in confidence each week. Now, those two get a Tigers match up that looks great for them on paper. Kurt Mann’s return in the middle also adds an extra layer of ball-playing versatility to their forward pack.
For the Tigers, Benji Marshall has named an unchanged 17 from the side that went down to the Broncos 34-10 last week. Api Koroisau will be monitored throughout the week after he left the Broncos game with nerve pain in his back, however he is expected to take his place on Saturday.
Overall the Tigers have shown glimpses of hanging tough in games this year, but they’re missing a lot of strike in attack. The last two weeks they’ve been suffocated by the defensive powerhouses that are the Panthers and Broncos. The Bulldogs are no easy beats and have shown they’re a much improved side this year, but the Tigers will fancy themselves to see better attacking opportunities this week.
Samuela Fainu got the start last week in the second row and looked damaging with some of his touches outside Lachlan Galvin. Expect the Tigers to go looking for that combination again.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Round 9 Number Crunch.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions for round 9 here.
Bulldogs by 2 points.
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