Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 26 clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles – by Debra Sherwood.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Sunday 27 August, 2:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Bulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Blake Wilson 3. Jacob Kiraz 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Liam Knight 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Corey Waddell 13. Harrison Edwards 14. Kyle Flanagan 15. Luke Thompson 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Tevita Pangai Junior 19. Jayden Okunbor 20. Sam Hughes 21. Jeral Skelton 22. Hayze Perham 23. Joseph O’Neill
Sea Eagles: 1. Tolutau Koula 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Ray Tuaimalo-Vaega 6. Jakob Arthur 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Sean Keppie 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Gordon Chan Kum Tong 15. Kelma Tuilagi 16. Aaron Woods 17. Ethan Bullemor 18. Josh Schuster 19. Dean Matterson 20. Ben Condon 21. Samuela Fainu 22. Reuben Garrick
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Sydney’s Accor Stadium will come alive on the eve of finals football on Sunday afternoon, when the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs play the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
The Bulldogs put on an impressive performance against the sixth-placed Raiders last weekend. There was no wavering in their defence against a full-strength Raiders side, who had to work hard to get the win: scoring three tries in the last 20 minutes to win 36-24.
Winning only three home games this season, and beating the Sea Eagles in five of their past six games at Accor Stadium, the Bulldogs are hoping to bring home a win this weekend. To do this, they will need to demonstrate the same powerful defence and determination that they showed last weekend.
Their lineup has had minor changes to the 17-player squad from last week, with Kurtis Morrin added to the bench and Jayden Okunbor dropping to 18th man.
The forwards Harrison Edwards, Reed Mahoney, and Viliame Kikau provided a solid wall of defence in their previous match, holding off the Raiders for a large part of the game.
Edwards leads the pack, having made 316.8 post contact metres, 260 tackles made with tackle efficiency rate of 93.9 percent, and averaging 130 running metres.
An equally robust backline combination of Jake Averillo, Toby Sexton, and Matt Burton played a key part in advancing the scoreline against the Raiders with brilliant set plays.
Averillo is such a versatile player, and can excel in any position, with a host of outstanding stats of 11 tries, 12 line breaks, 60 tackle breaks, and averaging 108 running metres this season.
Sexton assists in setting up play, combining with Burton, who brings a brilliant kicking game demonstrated not only last weekend – but in his current stats of 51 goals, averaging 352.3 kicking metres, 16 try assists, and 13 line breaks.
The Sea Eagles will look to capitalise on any errors that the Bulldogs make, assisting them in moving up the ladder.
When the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs met back in Round 1 at 4 Pines Park, the Bulldogs got absolutely smashed around the park by the Sea Eagles, with a final score of 31-6.
Their lineup will see various changes with Ben Trbojevic returning after a head knock.
Reuben Garrick could be a big loss for the Sea Eagles due to a back injury, which could see him out for the remaining of the season.
Tolutau Koula will be replacing Garrick and Josh Schuster has been dropped to the 18th man.
Jake Trbojevic, known to be the workhorse, will play his 199th NRL game, teaming up with fellow forwards Haumole Olakau’atu and Toafofoa Sipley.
Towering at 6ft 5in, Olakau’atu, the Sea Eagles’ right edge weapon – with his sheer presence intimidating the opposition – has averaged 127 running metres this season.
An equally impressive performer, Sipley has made 32 tackles breaks, 513.3 post contact metres, and averages 105 running metres.
The Sea Eagles backline will have the expertise of Daly Cherry-Evans, bringing his dangerous kicking game, along with the lightning speed of Jason Saab, making for an explosive combination on the outside edge.
Cherry-Evans has averaged 472.5 average kicking metres this season, with 16 try assists, and 17 line breaks. He also scored a hat-trick against the Bulldogs in Round 1.
Saab smashed through the opposition quite a few times last weekend in their match against the Warriors, torpedoing over the line in a succession of tries. He continues to be a threat to anyone who comes up against him, and is one of the fastest wingers in NRL with a remarkable number of stats.
In only 17 appearances this season he has made 10 tries, 18 line breaks, 24 tackle breaks, and is averaging 115 running metres.
This match will see a competition of true grit and determination between two teams fighting to maintain their pride and go out and get the job done.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Bulldogs 2, Sea Eagles 8
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Sea Eagles by six points.
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