Bulldogs v Eels preview

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Traditional rivals face off to assert early season dominance.

Despite trailing until after the fulltime siren last weekend, the Bulldogs managed to find a way to defeat the Panthers to continue their strong start to 2016. Showing signs of determination and resilience synonymous with the Canterbury sides of the 1980s, the Bulldogs will be hoping to come out on top once again on Friday against their most ardent rivals. Coming away with nine wins from the past ten clashes, coach Des Hasler will be hoping for more of the same with a similar squad to the past fortnight. In the biggest change from the side that prevailed at Penrith last Thursday, match-winner Kerrod Holland has been relegated to NSW Cup in favour of the experienced Chase Stanley in the centres. Set to face the judiciary on Wednesday, firebrand David Klemmer will be hoping to be exonerated for contrary conduct in order to take part in his 50th NRL appearance, with Lloyd Perrett and Shaun Lane on standby should the representative forward miss out through suspension.

As they did last year against South Sydney, Parramatta became the first team to defeat the reigning premiers, following their 20-16 win over North Queensland last Saturday night. Boosted by the club debut of Kieran Foran, the Eels improved their attack against the Cowboys, while maintaining the defensive standards that saw them remain in the contest with Brisbane in the opening round. In the absence of Nathan Peats, veteran hooker Isaac De Gois will play his first game of the seasons, while David Gower comes into the side for the suspended Manu Ma'u. With both sides starting the season strongly, expect a large crowd to make their way to ANZ Stadium on Friday to witness arguably the match of the round.

Last meeting: Round 19 2015 - Eels 4 Bulldogs 28

Who to watch: Having missed most of 2015 through injury, second rower Tony Williams appears to have rediscovered the form that saw him signed by Des Hasler as the most damaging forward in the NRL. Averaging over 100 metres and 20 tackles so far, the representative forward will be salivating at the prospect of facing off against the Eels forward pack. Off-contract at the end of the season, Williams will need to produce his best if he is to remain at Canterbury, but should he continue to improve he may find himself in line for a representative recall from Blues coach Laurie Daley.

In search of his first try for Parramatta, centre Michael Jennings will be out to make a statement on Friday night. With his speed and footwork capable of producing points for the visitors, the representative centre will be looking to get more involved in order to get the Eels and will fancy his chances against the returning Chase Stanley. Yet to set the stage alight in 2016, the former Panther and Rooster looks set for a big game on Friday and will need to be at his best if the Eels are to put a stop to Canterbury's unbeaten start to the season.

The favourite: Returning to ANZ Stadium for the first time in 2016 with two wins to start the year, the Bulldogs are expected to account for their Western Sydney rivals.

My tip: Having defied the odds last week and adapted their forwards to the reduced interchange, expect the home side to prevail in a close encounter. Bulldogs by 8.

1. William Hopoate 2. Curtis Rona 3. Josh Morris 4. Chase Stanley 5. Sam Perrett 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Moses Mbye 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Craig Garvey 10. James Graham 11. Josh Jackson 12. Tony Williams 14. Sam Kasiano
Interchange: 15. Tim Browne 16. David Klemmer 17. Adam Elliot 19. Lloyd Perrett

1. Michael Gordon 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jennings 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Clinton Gutherson 6. Corey Norman 7. Kieran Foran 8. Junior Paulo 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Tim Mannah 11. Ken Edwards 12. Beau Scott 13. Tepai Moeroa
Interchange: 14. Kaysa Pritchard 15. Peni Terepo 16. Danny Wicks 17. David Gower

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Jeff Younis, Peter Gough; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Steve Chiddy, Bernard Sutton;