Round 18: Bulldogs v Warriors preview
Warriors, beware; dangerous Bulldogs on the premises.
Super Saturday opens with the Canterbury Bulldogs hosting the New Zealand Warriors at Accor Stadium, which has become a fortress for a team defying the odds in 2024.
The home side has continued to perform better than expected while the Warriors are still trying to find the form that gave birth to the cries of ‘Up the Wahs' last year.
Scraping by last week in a 15-14 nailbiter against the Cronulla Sharks, Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo was pleased his boys stayed in the fight. But with 45 missed tackles, the second-best defensive team in the comp will want to lift their game this week in training to be ready for a Warriors outfit who enjoyed the taste of victory last round.
On paper, it would be easy to say the Bulldogs shouldn't have won last week, but resilience and a desire to win is getting them over the line when it matters. A lack of errors and Matt Burton's boot kept the Dogs in the fight. And it was good to see that even after two field goal misses, Mat Burton had the confidence to make it a third time lucky and give the Doggies a win over the Cronulla, giving them every chance to be in the finals this year.
After a stint on the sideline through concussion protocols, zippy full-back Connor Tracy will be back in number 1. Kurt Mann has served his two-game suspension and will take to the game from the bench.
After what was an embarrassing effort the round before, Warriors coach Webster was keen for his team not to walk by that result, and it seemed to work with the Warriors clicking in the halves, which allowed the team to build momentum in the middle through players like Addin Founa-Blake and Mitch Barnett. The boot of Te Maire Martin and his cool head in the number 7 jersey was vital in the 32-16 win against the undermanned Broncos.
A bonus from the Warrior's victory against the Broncos was no injuries, and Webster has named the same 17 to tackle the Doggies at Accor on Saturday.
Last meeting: Round 11 2023 - Bulldogs 12 Warriors 24
Who to watch: Connor Tracy and Jacob Kiraz are lighting on the return kick, with Kiraz leading the league on return meters. These two workhorses show no fear, while Kiraz is dangerous, being in the top ten of the league for line breaks as well.
Matt Burton's kicking game is one of the best in the league, finding the big meters to finish their sets, allowing his team the time to get their defensive line set for the opposition's fresh set of six. Burton's sky-high bombs will be a feature, and he would love to test the Warriors' back three with it.
Josh Curran, Sam Hughes, and Max King had big games last week. Curran has been showing great, consistent form, quietly going about his duties in attack and defence. You can be sure the tough back-rower will be fired up against his old team and likely inspire the pack around him.
Say what you will about Reed Mahoney's pest persona, but he backs it up with his workload and kicking from the dummy half, which will be ideal for their speedsters to jam the Warriors down in their red zones early.
Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita both clicked nicely last round, and they have likely found their groove; Martin's kicking game will be a good tussle against Burton, with the ever-present death from above of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak ready to finish off as he puts his big fast frame up against the Doggies back three.
Addin Founa-Blake and Mitch Barnett had big post-contact meters last game, and it's not suprising seeing that AFB leads this in the league and Barnett is in the top five behind him. These boys will garner plenty of attention from the Dogs pack as they will want to slow them down to stop any spark of momentum from the Warriors in the middle.
Favourite: The Bulldogs' unbeatable run at home and gritty defence have made them a favourite, and the lopsided performances of the Warriors may reflect these odds.
My tip: I like the Warriors, but the Bulldogs are in the right zone mentally, and their defence has been too good. Sure, they missed tackles in a big way last week, but this will be addressed, and the team will put another notch on Accor. Bulldogs by 8.
