RD14: Bulldogs vs Raiders

[Titanium_BD1103]

Bulldogs vs Canberra Raiders
Telstra Stadium, Monday 12th June, 3:00pm

Referee: Gavin Badger

Team changes:

Bulldogs

- Willie Mason, Andrew Ryan, Nate Myles and Mark O'Meley on Origin Duty.

- Brad Morrin and Chris Armit off the Bench to Starting Line up

- New Bench of Billy Ngawini, Ben Czislowski, Dallas McIllwain and Nick Kouparitsas who make his NRL Debut and is originally from Canberra.


Canberra Raiders

- Alan Rothery and Terry Martin Dropped to Premier League

- Adam Mogg has been selected for QLD SOO Duty.

- Michael Weyman and Trevor Thurling return on the bench with Thurling playing against his old club.

- Adrian Purtell is the extra man on a 5 man bench


BULLDOGS

1. Luke Patten
2. Hazem El Masri
3. Sonny Bill Williams
4. Cameron Phelps
5. Matt Utai
6. Daniel Holdsworth
7. Brent Sherwin
8. Chris Armit
9. Corey Hughes
10. Roy Asotasi
11. Brad Morrin
12. Tony Grimaldi (c)
13. Reni Maitua

Interchange:

14. Billy Ngawini
15. Ben Czislowski
16. Nick Kouparitsas
17. Dallas McIlwain


CANBERRA RAIDERS

1. Clinton Schifcofske (c)
2. Craig Frawley
3. Phil Graham
4. TBA
5. David Howell
6. Todd Carney
7. Lincoln Withers
8. Jason Williams
9. Simon Woolford
10. Michael Hodgson
11. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
12. Jason Crocker
13. Alan Tongue

Interchange

14. Marshall Chalk
15. Ben Jones
16. Trevor Thurling
17. Michael Weyman
18. Adrian Purtell
(one to be omitted)

*Please use this thread for Spoilers*

[Titanium_BD1103]

This should be a good game... a tight one but a good one..

It is good to see Billy back for another run and he adds versatility to the side. Benny is back for the first time from memory this season after some good performances in PL and Dallas adds more variety once more.

The Canberra side is similar to the side they trotted out last week and they are strong ATM. I like Withers form and Schifcofske is very dangerous.

Should be a very close game.. I say the Bulldogs by 4-6 points...

[Luke]

Bulldogs fowards seem a little flat. Good to see Weyman back in first grade.

Im tipping a Bulldogs win 1-12

[Kallan]

Adam Mogg is in the QLD so the Raiders team will need to be edited later.

[Luke]

Adam Mogg is in the QLD so the Raiders team will need to be edited later.

I guess Purtell will move to wing with Frawly going to centre or, he will just go into centre.

[Go_The_Doggies]

VERY VERY happy Billy finally has another go in FG, was starting to think he'd be playing in the actuall NZ side before he got another go in first grade!!

Gutted about Trenty though, he made a awesome try saving tackle when he was on, on saturday night(and he wasnt on for very long)

This will be a tough game, but i think we'll win it!!

Wonder who the ref is..ohwell its not like it matters..you can't trust any ref at the moment, tbh.

*edit: We got Gavin Badger

[Flanker/5-8]

Great to see Ngawini back in top grade - I love him so much. I wish I could take him home, and huggle him and cuddle him and love him and feed him every day and take him for walkies all the time and and I'd make him feel proud to be in the Saxon family and he would be so happy here!!!1!

[Go_The_Doggies]

Great to see Ngawini back in top grade - I love him so much. I wish I could take him home, and huggle him and cuddle him and love him and feed him every day and take him for walkies all the time and and I'd make him feel proud to be in the Saxon family and he would be so happy here!!!1!

Hmm..i <3 him muchly too..but i do not wish to feed him every day and take him for walkies all the time :satan: urdy:

[Social Loafer]

Weyman and Thurling as awesome players, very happy that they are both in the side.
Both of them hit the line hard and give great go forward. Our side is finally starting to hit some form, Carney and Withers are forming a great halves combo .

My bias prediction: Canberra by 7

[Teegy]

SMH

Canberra suffered a blow on the eve of their NRL match with the Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium losing impressive forward recruit Tom Learoyd-Lahrs to a knee injury.

Learoyd-Lahrs missed the second half of last week's 24-22 win over South Sydney and was in doubt all week with considerable swelling around his knee.

The 20-year-old couldn't complete his final training run on Saturday and has been replaced by second rower Alan Rothery.

Learoyd-Lahrs, a hulking 193cm and 110kg, is a massive loss after a superb season since joining from Brisbane. But the Raiders, chasing three successive wins, still fancy themselves for an upset against the Origin-depleted Bulldogs side.

The Bulldogs can charge into the top two on the ladder with a strong win on Monday but must do so without rampaging forwards Willie Mason, Mark O'Meley, Andrew Ryan and Nate Myles who are away for Origin.

Even without those big names Raiders coach Matthew Elliott still believes the Dogs have an incredibly strong forward pack that would seriously challenge his unheralded youngsters.

Elliott singled out Kiwi international Roy Asotasi as the key player for the Dogs, particularly as he would be pumped for a big game having been told during the week he could negotiate with other clubs as the salary cap is likely to squeeze him out of Belmore.

"(Roy) Asotasi is probably one of the best props in the world," said Elliott.

"They have plenty of quality right across the team, they will be a massive challenge for us."

The Bulldogs beat the Raiders 30-12 in Canberra in round five this year but Elliott believes his side cut their own throats in that clash.

The homeside coughed up a mountain of possession by committing double the handling errors of the Bulldogs and with greasy conditions predicted at Telstra Stadium on Monday Elliott knows ball control is the key to success.

"We did not respect possession when we played them last time. The game beat us not the opposition," said Elliott.

"Against a side full of potency like the Bulldogs you cannot surrender that amount of possession.

"We know we are a team that needs to respect possession and look after the ball.

"We will certainly focus on looking after the ball a lot better this time around."

Aiding the Raiders' cause is the return of robust 21-year-old prop Michael Weyman, who is playing his first NRL match in over 12 months following a series of serious injuries.

Weyman has not played since round five last year after suffering torn ankle and wrist ligaments, a dislocated jaw, a cracked sternum and painful stress fractures.

"I feel like I'm ready to go, but I'm sure the butterflies will be in the stomach before I run out," said Weyman.

Raiders backrower Ben Jones meanwhile has been cleared to play despite suffering a nasty head clash last week.

[BRONCOS FAN]

Yeah i think Bulldogs will get this in easy. The only chance canberra has got is the players out for origin. But we will see what happens. Sonny Bill will have to play good to forfill the origin stars..

[Social Loafer]

Constant Rain in Sydney, that will only favour us as we are specialist at playing footy in cold and wet conditions.

Look for us to make metres through the likes of Withers and Woolford out of dummy half who will be feeding balls to ourt big boppers in Thurling and Weyman.

Canberra by 6

[Super Cronk]

Constant Rain in Sydney, that will only favour us as we are specialist at playing footy in cold and wet conditions.

Look for us to make metres through the likes of Withers and Woolford out of dummy half who will be feeding balls to ourt big boppers in Thurling and Weyman.

Canberra by 6

will be tough with no Leoryd Lars...but the Doggies have to many out.

[Titanium_BD1103]

Does anyone know the state of the pitch at Telstra for todays game... I don't want injuries for either team and I saw large amounts of turf flying in the pictures in the paper of the Wallabies against England...

[Go_The_Doggies]

the pitch looked bad last night in the wallabies game!!