Bulldogs v Roosters preview - 2017 Round 11

Embed from Getty Images

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Sydney Roosters Sunday 4:00pm at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park / Wanngal

Home side Canterbury hosts the Sydney Roosters in what promises to be a great afternoon of football on Sunday.

With lots of history and quality clashes between these two clubs, the neutral fan can get excited about this match. The Roosters have had a very successful season so far and its attack seems to be firing on all cylinders, especially since the return of assistant coach Jason Taylor that has galvanised the side.  It was simply destructive last week against Parramatta and has put other sides on notice with its attractive attacking style.

Canterbury suffered another set back last week when it was outclassed by an impressive North Queensland outfit at home. Issues in the halves and lack of creativity from its spine has hurt the Dogs this season as it sits on the edge of the top 8. The forward pack is still as strong and menacing as ever, and that will need to continue this week when it goes toe-to-toe with the Roosters big men. Look for the likes of Jackson, Graham and Eastwood to get through a lot of work and try and grind their side to victory on Sunday.

Last meeting: Round 2 2017 - Roosters 28 Bulldogs 24

The Tricolours recorded a thrilling win over the Dogs earlier this year despite a late comeback from Canterbury. Before that the Dogs had won the last two matches, with one of those victories coming at ANZ Stadium.

Who to watch: For the Bulldogs, its forward pack will set the tone for this match and look to continue its solid form of late. Adam Eliot has been a welcome introduction into the Dogs forward pack and his strong running lines and hard hitting defence has seen him become an integral part of its set up. He has a knack for finding the line (three tries in ten games this year) so the Roosters will need to keep an eye on him when he runs off those inside balls from Mbye and Frawley.

The Tricolours have been majestic of late with plenty of points being scored by its backline. However the return of Prop Dylan Napa has bolstered it a lot. The Queenslander has brought a hard nosed style of attitude to the Bondi Boys with his aggressive defence and hard running style in the middle of the field. With an ability to offload whilst attracting more than one defender, he is a great attacking weapon that the Roosters will be hoping to utilize on Sunday.

The favourite: No surprises to see the Roosters as warm favourites due to their good form of late.

My tip: The Roosters to continue their good form with a hard fought win over the Dogs in this clash. I think the Dogs will be better than last week but the Roosters' attack which be too much for them. Roosters by 8.

1. William Hopoate 2. Brett Morris 3. Josh Morris 4. Brenko Lee 5. Kerrod Holland 6. Matt Frawley 7. Moses Mbye 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Michael Lichaa 10. James Graham 11. Josh Jackson 12. Adam Elliot 13. David Klemmer 14. Sam Kasiano 15. Danny Fualalo 16. Greg Eastwood 17. Craig Garvey

1. Michael Gordon 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Luke Keary 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Dylan Napa 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Sio Siua Taukeiaho 14. Aidan Guerra 16. Kane Evans 17. Connor Watson 18. Ryan Matterson

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Michael Wise, Phil Henderson; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea;