Roar Guru
The Canterbury Bulldogs finished the season in fifth after a sluggish 4-point win over the New Zealand Warriors.
>>MATCH REPORT: Sluggish Dogs secure fifth spot
Canterbury 26 def. New Zealand 22
The Bulldogs are safe in their position in the top eight and the Warriors are certain not to make it into the top eight.
They face off tonight in the final round of the season. Join The Roar from 6:30 AEST for live scores and match coverage.
The Warriors will look to bounce back from two horrid defeats, though against this Bulldogs side, a moral boosting win for the New Zealand outfit doesn’t look likely.
The Bulldogs can no longer make it into the top four, as the Storm won their game against the Roosters on Thursday, however they’ll stop want to push hard for that fifth position to make life during the finals that bit easier.
The Dogs are on a four match winning streak, having lost in Round 21 to the Roosters. Their nail-biting win against the lowly Knights last week consolidated their top eight position, and with the return of Prop Aiden Tolman, they are favourites tonight to get a result.
Youngster Sam Kasiano is back to the bench following an inconsistent season, though the young forward is one to watch for the future.
The Bulldogs will be without Trent Hodkinson for the remainder of the season, and the halfback has therefore played what will probably be his last game for Canterbury, with a move to Newcastle next year locked in.
The Warriors also have several players returning; both Chad Townsend and Ben Matulino coming in from injury and suspension.
The New Zealand side’s season has been poor, though they cannot get the wooden spoon, and they aren’t any chance of making the top eight so we might just see some decent footy from them tonight as the pressure eases and they play for dignity.
Prediction
Without Hodkinson, the Bulldogs attack may be lacking, though you can expect a big match from Damien Cook, Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye in the middle. Bulldogs to win comfortably.