Round 5: Bulldogs v Roosters preview
Two teams at opposites collide
Note: this match was originally scheduled for 4:05pm Sunday, but was rescheduled to Monday night 7:00pm due to coronavirus fears. More details here.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters will clash on Monday night at Bankwest Stadium and it's no secret that these teams have been very much at opposites over the past few seasons. On one hand, the Bulldogs have struggled in recent years, with their last finals appearance being in Week 1 of the 2016 series. On the other, the Roosters are the back-to-back premiers look like they could claim the illustrious "3-peat". Canterbury however, cannot be completely ruled out of this clash and have become accustomed to their underdogs tag, which has seen them spoil the party on multiple occasions over recent seasons. They are coming off of an impressive 20-point win, despite it being against dire opposition in cellar dwellers St. George Illawarra. The Roosters though are the back-to-back premiers for a reason and showed just what they can do last week with a 59-0 thumping of Brisbane. Whilst the Broncos were under-strength, the Tricolours were also without last season's Dally-M winner James Tedesco. This game could be entertaining for a number of different reasons. Could we see the 'Dogs drag their counterparts down with their grinding style and make a contest out of the game? Or will we see the premiers run away with it and put on a score?
The Bulldogs claimed their first win of the season last week against St George Illawarra, slightly easing the pressure on coach Dean Pay. In team news, Will Hopoate has been officially moved to fullback, as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak moves to the wing. Rookie Jake Averillo has been named to start in the centres, moving in from the wing. Adam Elliott and Raymond Faitala-Mariner switch positions from last weekend, with Faitala-Mariner to start in the second row, Elliott pushing into the middle at lock. Christian Crichton is the only inclusion in the 17 that beat the Dragons on the Queen's Birthday Monday, with Kerrod Holland dropping off the bench to make way.
You wouldn't think that the Roosters could get much better after a massive 59-0 victory over the Broncos last weekend, but their team sheet starts off with a massive inclusion. Star fullback Tedesco returns after overcoming a virus that saw him fail a temperature check at Sydney Airport before the Roosters' Round 4 game. That means that Brett Morris returns to the wing after an outstanding performance in place of Tedesco last round. That change sees Ryan Hall out of the 17 and pushed to the reserves. Lindsay Collins is able to retain his spot on the bench after last week's effort saw him make 272 metres, the most of any player in the game. This was outstanding given he started the game on the bench.
Both of these sides are coming off of a win last round and will be looking to continue their momentum into Round 5. Boosted by the return of Kieran Foran who will no doubt improve the side again this weekend, Canterbury got their first win of the season last week. With the Roosters' thumping of the Broncos sans-Tedesco, it will be interesting to see if they can be even better still this week. Canterbury have not managed a win over the Roosters since mid-way through the 2016 season, which saw the Roosters finish 15th that year. Recent history sets up a tough encounter for the Belmore club, but it wouldn't be wise to completely discount them based off of their well-known defensive game.
Last meeting: Round 19 2019 - Bulldogs 12 Roosters 20
Who to watch: Will Hopoate has been officially moved to fullback for this weekend's game and will no doubt see more touches of the football after a solid performance last Monday. We all know how damaging his running game can be and it will be interesting to see if his strength from kick returns can help to spark the Bulldogs attack. Canterbury can be seen to struggle at times with their attack and Hopoate can also offer a pair of good hands to give the Roosters defence something else to think about.
After a week off, James Tedesco will be more than ready to go. His last game was against Souths in Round 3, where he caused all sorts of problems for their defence and there is little doubt that he will be equally as dangerous against the 'Dogs. His support play is second to none and if the Roosters pack can get the Bulldogs tired in the middle of the park, Tedesco could punch more than a few holes in the Canterbury defensive line.
The favourite: The Roosters are comfortable favourites to take out the win here.
My tip: Despite winning big to the tune of 59 points last weekend, there are no doubt still things to improve on for the Roosters. It may have gone unnoticed due to the large score line, but the Roosters were guilty of making three errors after points in their last game, and they can't afford to do the same against what will be a stronger Bulldogs defence. Canterbury pulled out a win last week and will gain some confidence from that win, especially considering some of the noise surrounding Pay has been at least temporarily silenced. Despite that, the premiers simply have too much quality across the park in comparison to the Bulldogs and should be too good in this one. Roosters by 14.
