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The Bulldogs leap back into the top eight following a convincing win over the Gold Coast Titans – the match ending 36-4.
>>MATCH REPORT: Dogs beat Titans to stay in top eight
The start of the match saw both sides struggle to keep possession, with unforced errors causing a disrupted first 15 minutes. Brett Morris and Curtis Rona gave the Bulldogs the lead through the first half, but Faifai Loa kept the Titans within reach before half time.
Gold Coast were playing well, and were matching the Bulldogs for possession throughout the first 60 minutes, but seemed to collapse as Sezer was taken off midway through the second half. The Bulldogs then capitalised, with tries to Eastwood, Morris, Rona and Klemmer.
A fantastic try to James Roberts couldn’t keep the Titans in the match, and Faifai Loa got his second on the fulltime buzzer to narrow the difference.
The Canterbury Bulldogs face off against the Gold Coast Titans this afternoon as they look to build on last week’s impressive win against the Broncos. Join The Roar from 4:00pm (AEST) for live scores and updates.
The Gold Coast Titans sit in 15th position and once again are a strong chance for taking home the wooden spoon this year. There hasn’t been a team more consistently bad over the past five years, and yet they somehow seem to get results against the Bulldogs.
In Round 14 the Bulldogs suffered a 14-point loss to the Titans, going down 28-14, and before that, in Round 26 last year, the Titans somehow came back from an 18-0 deficit to beat the Bulldogs 19-18.
In a game which, on paper, looks like a walkover victory for the Bulldogs, we could see a different result emerge.
Beau Falloon and Eddy Pettybourne come back into the squad for the Titans, whose main goal for the rest of this season will be to avoid the wooden spoon. They’re without Nate Myles again, who remains on the sideline with a shoulder injury.
The Titans’ best chance for victory has to be their uncanny ability to beat the Bulldogs no matter what the odds suggest. With Greg Bird leading the line and James Roberts and David Mead in the centres; perhaps an upset is on the cards. Look out for Roberts in particular, who has been one of the more consistent performers this year.
The Bulldogs have all the right players to stay in the top eight, and their performances of late have helped them keep within reach of the finals’ series.
Greg Eastwood makes a welcome return at lock, moving young New Zealand international Sam Kasiano to the bench. Michael Lichaa is in the starting squad despite limping off against Brisbane last week.
For the Bulldogs, a win seems more probable then not, though they’ll need to overcome their Titans hoodoo. The Morris brothers, along with Josh Graham and Greg Eastwood, will be pivotal in the result this afternoon.
Prediction: Bulldogs to overcome their poor history against the Titans, and work toward consolidating their spot in the top eight. 18-12
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