Matt Attard previews the round three clash between the Sea Eagles and the Bulldogs. Here’s what we have to look forward to.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
4 Pines Park, Brookvale
Sunday March 27, 6:15pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesSea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Sean Keppie 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ethan Bullemor 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Dylan Walker 15. Karl Lawton 16. Andrew Davey 17. Taniela Paseka 18. Toafofoa Sipley 19. Morgan Boyle 20. Tolutau Koula 21. Jorge Taufua 22. Alec Tuitavake 23. Christian Tuipulotu 24. James Roumanos
Des Hasler has picked the same 17 that went down to the Roosters last week.
Embed from Getty ImagesBulldogs: 1. Matt Dufty 2. Jayden Okunbor 3. Braidon Burns 4. Brent Naden 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Jake Averillo 8. Luke Thompson 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Jack Hetherington 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Josh Jackson 14. Bailey Biondi-Odo 15. Corey Waddell 16. Max King 17. Ava Seumanufagai 19. Chris Patolo 20. Brandon Wakeham 21. Joe Stimson 22. Kyle Flanagan 23. Reece Hoffman 24. Josh Cook 25. Aaron Schoupp
The Bulldogs have also named the same 17 from last week.
Referee:
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Manly can’t be at all pleased with anything they’ve dished up in the opening two rounds. That makes them very dangerous, especially fullback Tom Trbojevic, who has been less than impressive this past fortnight. With such pressure on their shoulders to step it up, the home side will either be back to their exciting best or will run into a revamped Bulldogs outfit who have impressed everyone thus far.
Manly’s forwards haven’t quite aimed up yet, while the Bulldogs have done well to lay a solid platform for a very exciting Matt Burton, who was very good against the Broncos in last week’s narrow loss.
Last week against the Roosters, only one of their starting forwards ran for more than 100 metres (Haumole Olakau’atu, 134m). You can bet their pack will be looking to dominate from the get go in front of their home fans, while halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, although solid, will want to step it up against the visitor’s young halves pairing.
Last week against the Broncos, the Bulldogs could have had another five tries on the board if not for some excellent defence (held up twice) and poor decision-making at the line. It shows they’re on the up, as does their commitment in all facets since a massive roster overhaul. There are signs there that the Bulldogs could push among the teams lingering outside the eight come the end of the season, but they’ll want to hit the combination switch soon or risk letting several more games slip.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
Who could forget last year’s 66-0 drubbing, led by a rampaging Tommy Turbo and winger Reuben Garrick? It was the club’s biggest win over the Bulldogs.
It also added another notch to the belt of a long winning streak. The Bulldogs have been on the losing side of this contest six matches in a row, their last win coming in 2017 when the team featured the Morris twins, James Graham, David Klemmer, and Moses Mbye.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Sea Eagles by two.
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