Unbelievably, the Bulldogs recorded their third consecutive one-point win last week when defeating South Sydney 15 – 14.
Where and when: Saturday, Apr 26, ANZ Stadium, FOX, 7:30pm
The win now sees the Bulldogs, who have the superior for and against, sitting at the top of the table with West Tigers, Manly and Titans, on five wins from seven matches.
With scores locked up late in the match, South Sydney had the perfect field goal opportunity but didn’t even get to take the shot after poor decisions left them running the ball on the last tackle.
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The Bulldogs, with the experience of the previous fortnight, were not so wasteful and worked for and converted their opportunity in an efficient manner.
These wins have the Bulldogs full of confidence at the moment and with Hodkinson, who slotted the winning field goal for the second time last week, in fine form with the boot, the Bulldogs are going to be a tough side for any team to roll, especially one that his trying to find form such as this week’s opponents, the Newcastle Knights.
The Knights continued a month of inconsistent performances with a poor loss to Brisbane last week 32 – 6.
More was expected from the Knigths who were playing at home for the first time in three weeks and coming off an upset win over the Canberra Raiders in round 7.
Brisbane scored early and proved a hard defensive unit to crack, holding the Knights up over the line on four occasions in the first half and producing twelve try-saving tackles for the match.
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Newcastle head into this match desperate for a win and some sign that their season will be still be alive heading into the second half of the year however, it’s hard to find from where the improvement needed, will come.
They named a full-strength side last week and come up against another strong defensive unit this week.
Giving the Knights some hope will be their recent record against the Bulldogs. They have won four of the last five matches and the last three in succession. Visiting ANZ Stadium should hold no fears for them either, having won the two most recent clashes at this venue by margins of 16 and 14 points.
Despite the stats though, it’s hard to tip the Knights in their current form against a Bulldogs outfit that, against stronger opposition than the Knights, having been finding ways to win.
Bulldogs here and probably cover the line in the process.
Odds Comparison:
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| Canterbury Bulldogs | 1.48 | 1.45 | 1.44 | 1.45 | 1.48 | 1.45 |
| Newcastle Knights | 2.75 | 2.85 | 2.85 | 2.85 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Teams:
Canterbury Bulldogs:
Sam Perrett, Corey Thompson, Josh Morris, Timoteo Lafai, Mitch Brown, Josh Reynolds, Trent Hodkinson, Aiden Tolman, Michael Ennis, James Graham, Josh Jackson, Tony Williams, Dale Finucane. Interchange: Greg Eastwood, David Klemmer, Tim Browne, Sam Kasiano, Moses Mbye, Pat O’Hanlon
Ins: Moses Mbye, Pat O’Hanlon
Outs: None
Other unavailables: Frank Pritchard (pectoral, season), Chase Stanley (shoulder, round nine)
Newcastle Knights:
Darius Boyd, James McManus, Dane Gagai, Joey Leilua, Jake Mamo, Jarrod Mullen, Tyrone Roberts, Kade Snowden, Kurt Gidley (c), Zane Tetevano, Beau Scott, Chris Houston, Jeremy Smith. Interchange: Adam Clydsdale, Korbin Sims, Adam Cuthbertson, Robbie Rochow
Ins: Kade Snowden
Outs: Willie Mason (suspension, round 10)
Other unavailables: Akuila Uate (knee, round 10), Alex McKinnon (neck, season), Clint Newton (bicep, season), Timana Tahu (knee, round 10), Matt Minto (hamstring, indefinite)
