Round 11: Wests Tigers v Bulldogs preview
Rumour mill fuelling fire in bottom of the table clash
The Wests Tigers and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Both of these cellar-dwelling sides have been synonymous with all kinds of media attention as of late, with very little of it being for the right reasons. These two sides come into their Friday evening clash with the weight of the world on their shoulders as they look to shrug off criticism coming from every which way for at least the next week.
The Tigers are coming off a 36-12 drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys in Magic Round, seeing them slip back to 15th on the ladder. Only Friday's opponents are below them in the standings at this point in the season. Even more dramatic, the Tigers acquired the services of Brent Naden during the week, who only a few days ago called Canterbury home. He is every chance to face his former club this week should Michael Maguire opt to rush him into the seventeen. Not to mention, rumours linking coach Maguire with a move to the Bulldogs following the departure of Trent Barrett during the week have now surfaced, setting up a red-hot clash that might otherwise have drawn less interest.
The Bulldogs come into the match having lost last week in a dismal effort against Newcastle, 16-6. It would turn out to be then-coach Trent Barrett's last game in charge before he stepped down from his role, pre-empting his seemingly inevitable sacking. Michael Potter will take over as the interim coach and has a big job ahead of him if the Bulldogs are to climb off the bottom of the ladder after Friday's game.
In Tigers team news for this week, Michael Maguire has named changes to the side that went down to the Cowboys. Asu Kepaoa starts at centre, which sees Luke Garner move back to his preferred second-row position. Star five-eighth Luke Brooks has succumbed to his injury suffered in the game against North Queensland and will be replaced in the starting side by Jock Madden. Hooker Jake Simpkin is also out injured, replaced by the more than capable Jacob Liddle who has done a job for the Tigers on 68 occasions throughout his career. Alex Seyfarth and Junior Pauga miss out on bench spots, with Fa'amanu Brown making his first appearance in the NRL since 2019, which was ironically with the Bulldogs.
For the Bulldogs, the recent departure of Brent Naden has left a hole to fill at centre, which sees Jake Averillo come in after being used as the 18th man last week. Jackson Topine comes back into the side to start at second-row, with Corey Waddell out. The bench is unchanged from last week.
Last meeting: Round 25 2021 - Wests Tigers 0 Bulldogs 38
Who to watch: Coming back into the side this week for Wests, it's hard to look past Jacob Liddle. The 25-year-old hooker has had his injury struggles throughout his career but has shown he is more than capable to hold his own in first grade before. Whichever forward pack gets the better of the other should win this one, and if that happens to be the Tigers, Liddle will be showing what a crafty hooker he is and put his side on the front foot. Liddle is another player who has had some media spotlight on him as of late, with rumours linking him with a move away from the club. He will be looking to impress the coach to prove his worth this week.
Matt Burton is another one to watch this week. The off-season recruit was touted as one of the biggest coups for the Bulldogs in a long time. Burton is another player being linked with a move away, with rumours suggesting he may test his worth on the open market. The Bulldogs need to start performing if they're going to keep him, and this is exactly the type of game they can win. Look for Burton to prove himself this week and be the dominant player in this Canterbury side. He will play a crucial role if they are to lift themselves up after a tumultuous week.
Favourite: The odds are split dead-even for this game.
My tip: This is a tough one to pick. Both sides have so much to play for in a week that has been filled with so much media talk. One thing is for certain, whoever loses will be on the bottom of the competition ladder at the end of the round. Historically following a coach's departure, a team tend to perform pretty well. No doubt Phil Gould will have his hands over everything this week and it is well known he has an uncanny ability to fire a team up. I think the Bulldogs have just that little bit more to play for this week, so I'll be taking a risk and tipping them this week. Bulldogs by 8.
