In what promises to be a blockbuster Friday Night clash at Brookvale Oval, a rejuvenated Bulldogs side will be taking on a Manly outfit determined to prove that they still have something to offer in 2015.
Both sides are coming off first-up wins in Round 2, but it was the blue-and-whites who were more impressive in a clinical 32-12 defeat of the Parramatta Eels.
The Sea Eagles, who went down to the Eels 40-12 in their first game of the season, did well to overcome a fast-finishing Melbourne Storm outfit in a hard fought 24-22 win.
Key Points
– Manly will again be without five-eighth Kieran Foran, who is expected to be out for at least two more weeks with a hamstring injury.
– Both teams have named unchanged line-ups from Round 2.
– Bulldogs halfback will play his 100th first grade game this Friday night in rather ironic circumstances; against the same club he made his debut for in 2010.
– Josh Reynolds remains sidelined with a broken arm suffered in Canterbury’s Round 1 game against the Panthers.
– The battle of the fullbacks should be worth the price of admission alone. Last week, Manly dynamo Brett Stewart scored a first-half double in his side’s victory over the Storm, and was generally dangerous throughout the game. New Bulldogs recruit Brett Morris has thus far proved his worth, scoring three tries in his first two games as custodian.
History
The Bulldogs and Manly share a fierce rivalry dating back to their first clash in 1947, including the 1995 Grand Final in which the ‘Dogs upset runaway favorites Manly 17-4.
Canterbury have won four of the last six games against Manly, including a thrilling 18-17 Golden Point victory in Week 2 of last year’s Finals Series.
Although the Sea Eagles won last year’s match at Brookvale Oval, the Bulldogs have prevailed in three of the last five meetings between the two sides at Manly’s home ground.
Teams:
SEA EAGLES (Coach: Geoff Toovey)
1. Brett Stewart
2. Cheyse Blair
3. Jamie Lyon (C)
4. Steve Matai
5. Peta Hiku
6. Feleti Mateo
7. Daly Cherry-Evans
8. Luke Burgess
9. Matt Ballin
10. Willie Mason
11. Jamie Buhrer
12. Tom Symonds
13. Dunamis Lui
Interchange
14. Jesse Sene-Lefao
15. Blake Leary
16. Jake Trbojevic
17. Ligi Sao
BULLDOGS (Coach: Des Hasler)
1. Brett Morris
2. Curtis Rona
3. Josh Morris
4. Tim Lafai
5. Sam Perrett
6. Moses Mbye
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. Aiden Tolman
9. Michael Lichaa
10.James Graham (C)
11. Josh Jackson
12. Tony Williams
13. Greg Eastwood
Interchange
14. Sam Kasiano
15. David Klemmer
16. Frank Pritchard
17. Tim Browne
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (12th) vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (6th)
Time: 7:35pm (AEDT)
Venue: Brookvale Oval
Telecast: LIVE on Channel 9 (NSW), DEL 9:30pm (QLD)
The odds: Bulldogs $1.80, Sea Eagles $2.02
Tip: The Bulldogs are likely to carry on their form from last week, and should win this one by 1-12 points.
planko
Guest
Looking forward to it as well The Barry. The night you are refering to at Brookie was a little cold, wet ( I was sitting on the concourse )and DCE had a blinder but went off injured in the second half. But your account sounds good to me and momentum does seem to play a massive role.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The last few games between these sides have swung largely on momentum. I may be getting my history confused but I'm pretty sure that the Dogs got out to a decent lead in last years game at Brookie with a few penalties and weight of posession. Manly leaked a few points but it could have been more after defending a lot of sets on their own line. Manly scored a try against the run of play, momentum shifted and they scored another two or three in quick succession to win the game. Last year's semi final was a similar story. The Dogs should dominate in the forwards and Manly will be hoping to soak up the pressure like Parra did last week. Manly will always be dangerous on the counter attack and will look to capitalise when the mojo of the game goes their way. This is always a game I look forward to - go the Dogs !!