Round 15: Bulldogs v Warriors preview
Bulldogs look to ditch last place against gritty Warriors
Pre-season, you could be forgiven for thinking that this matchup would be 15th taking on 16th in an all-out battle to avoid the wooden spoon, and Covid-19 forcing the Warriors to relocate to Australia indefinitely would've only shortened the odds.
That statement is only partly correct currently. The struggling Bulldogs have only recorded two wins so far in 2020, while the Warriors have had a tough underbelly installed into them by interim coach Todd Payten which sees them sitting in 12th and remarkably still an outside chance of a finals berth.
Last week, the Bulldogs came agonisingly close to closing out a rare victory against the Wests Tigers. Coming back from 22-6 down, they were in it until the end, even leading with 9 minutes to go. But a late field goal consigned them to their twelfth loss of the year as well as being 2 competition points behind fellow cellar-dwellers the Broncos. The Warriors were up against a top team in the Panthers last week and, like they've done against similar opposition, didn't lie down and made a real go of it. The Panthers got out to a 16-0 lead, and the old Warriors would no doubt have thrown in the towel. But they buckled down and scored a try right on half time, and with 20 minutes to go even looked likely to win it. It wasn't to be however, going down 18-12 to a classy Panthers side.
In team news, the Bulldogs have named veteran fullback Will Hopoate to return from injury after 7 weeks on the sideline. His return pushes Nick Meaney to the wing and Marcelo Montoya out of the side. Jeremy Marshall-King moves from the interchange to start at hooker in a direct swap with Sione Katoa, the same happening in the front row with Englishman Luke Thompson benched for Aiden Tolman. Kerrod Holland keeps Jake Averillo out of the starting centre position for at least another week.
For the Warriors, winger Patrick Herbert has picked up an injury at training, meaning Adam Pompey moves to the wing and Hayze Perham comes into the centres. Eliesa Katoa has been suspended for one match with a dangerous contact charge, seeing Isaiah Papali'I will start in the back row and Jack Murchie recalled to the 17 via the bench.
Fans and commentators alike have lauded the Bulldogs effort throughout the year, and many consider them undeserving of the wooden spoon. Looking at their draw however, it's hard to see where the next win comes from. They only face one current bottom 4 team in the Titans, who themselves have proven to be no easy beats, with the next lowest opponent being the Warriors this week. After contesting for the full 80 last week, it will be interesting to see if the Dogs are able to back up the strong performance and break out of last place, or if the Tigers game took energy out of them and it becomes a one-sided affair.
Last meeting: Round 1 2019 - Warriors 40 Bulldogs 6
Who to watch: Young back rower Matt Doorey impressed on debut last week. Coming off the bench, he played 54 minutes and racked up 110 metres from 10 runs, made 2 tackle breaks and made 21 tackles with only 1 missed. He was also able to score his maiden NRL try. His strong performance has seen him promoted to the starting side for the Bulldogs and he will have his work cut out for him marking up on Tohu Harris, who has been one of the Warriors best in 2020.
Since returning from injury a few weeks ago, Jazz Tevaga has been an absolute workhorse for the Warriors. Despite only playing 38 minutes last week, Tevaga ran for 104 metres including 2 tackle breaks and made an astounding 43 tackles. Last year Tevaga showed he was capable of playing big minutes, playing 90 and breaking the record for combined tackles and runs in a golden point thriller in Brisbane last year. It's ultimately up to Todd Payten how long he plays on Sunday, and he can be sure that Jazz won't let him down while on the field.
The favourite: The Warriors are slight favourites to get the win on Sunday.
My tip: While the Bulldogs may be last on the table in terms of victories, they are certainly not the worst team running around in the NRL at the moment. The problem for them is neither are the Warriors. While this game looks like it could be close on paper, I think the Warriors have shown that they are on a different level to the Bulldogs this year and will be convincing victors come 2pm Sunday. Warriors by 16.
