Round 22: Warriors v Bulldogs preview
Teams look to avoid bottom four at Mt. Smart
With both of these sides out of contention for finals, fans might be forgiven for giving this Friday 6pm game no attention. But this shouldn't be the case. The Warriors and Bulldogs are neck and neck in terms of competition points, with the New Zealand based side sitting just one win behind Canterbury. Let's face it, no team wants to be finishing in the bottom four come the end of round 25.
The Bulldogs sit in 12th one place out of that bottom four on points differential and after the dismal last few years for the club, their passionate fans will be hoping they can get the win on Friday to pull further clear.
There has undoubtedly been plenty of promise in the way interim coach Mick Potter has the team playing, especially in attack. The Warriors have however, remained much the same since the departure of Nathan Brown as head coach. With a chance to still move up in the rankings though, the Warriors need to turn up at home this week and take it to the Bulldogs in what is a winnable game for both sides.
In team news, Viliami Vailea comes into the team to start at centre, which shifts Euan Aitken to the second row. Daejarn Asi gets an opportunity in the halves this week, with the experiment of playing Wayde Egan at five-eighth over after one game. Egan moves to his preferred hooker position. This change also sees Freddy Lussick move to the bench. Josh Curran is back in the starting side locking the scrum, with Aaron Pene out. Eliesa Katoa will make his return via the bench in a week which has seen him sign for the Melbourne Storm from next season.
For the Bulldogs, their only change from last week come on the bench. Tevita Pangai-Junior is out of the side, which sees Harrison Edwards promoted from 18th man for this one.
Last meeting: Round 22 2021 - Warriors 24 Bulldogs 10
Who to watch: Josh Curran coming back into the starting side for the Warriors is a huge boost that this team really needed. Before being injured earlier in the year, Curran was being spoken about as a smoky for a NSW Blues jersey, despite playing in a struggling Warriors side. Curran is that sort of player that certainly would not have looked out of place if given the opportunity. He has a great work ethic and a hard-nosed edge about his style of play, which could become very useful in limiting the effectiveness of the Bulldogs pack. The Warriors will absolutely love to have him back starting, as will Curran himself, so look for him to have a big game.
There are a few to keep an eye on for the Bulldogs, but Jake Averillo could really have a stormer on Friday night. The Warriors' defence hasn't been well-known for its resilience in 2022, and the game could really open up in stages. Especially towards the back end of the game, look for Averillo's speed to cause plenty of issues as holes start to become more prominent in the defensive line.
The favourite: The Bulldogs are favourites to take this one out.
My tip: With more on the line than what is being talked up for this game, I expect both teams to have a real dig, at least from the start. I think this game could be tight for the majority but might start to blow out at the end. With the Bulldogs in better form and having a much-improved attack, I'm going to take them for the win. Bulldogs by 16.
