The Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters clash this to open the Women in League round. Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 7:35pm (AEST).
Both sides sit equal on eight points, with the Roosters in seventh and Bulldogs in eleventh due to for and against.
The Dogs have lost their past two games, going down to the Cowboys and Tigers.
The Roosters dug themselves out of a deepening hole last weekend by blowing the Tigers off the park, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Canterbury have named a 20-man squad, including Josh Reynolds, James Graham and Greg Eastwood.
The Bulldogs have missed their forwards leader in Graham after he was suspended following his Good Friday tackle on Adam Reynolds and then tirade at referee Grant Atkins. The Dogs rely heavily on their forwards to run the middle of the field and without Graham they have lost their way.
The Roosters meanwhile have the luxury of naming the same side that dispatched the Tigers 36-4. The Tricolours were slick and clinical against a poor Wests side.
With Origin selection just around the corner, the two sets of prospective Blues halves face-off.
Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds may be the incumbents who guided NSW to victory last season but both have been poor this season, with Reynolds spending more time on the sidelines through suspension than he has on the field.
Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney themselves have been under pressure, but if their performances against the Tigers are anything to go by then they are back on track.
The winner of this match will pick up a much needed two points heading into the Origin period, where both sides will likely be weakened due to representative duties.
This is a tough match to tip but the Roosters did manage a win last week so I’m going to go Roosters by 8 with not a lot of confidence.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Pick none of them! Should be Soward and Austin.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
As a QLDer you should be hoping for Pearce/Turnstile Maloney. Hodkinson may not have put a lot of points on, but he got them when they mattered, and Pearce never did manage that.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
A Wookie playing space chess! lol
The Barry
Roar Guru
Adrian - it definitely wasn't pretty but I thought the roosters played with a lot of patience and choked the dogs out of the game. As for t-rex the frustrating thing is that he has shown glimpses. I just don't know that he has the right psychological make up or mental attitude for league. He just seems a gentle, softly spoken chap who spends most of the game with a slightly bewildered expression on his face instead of firing up and tearing peoples arms off like a wookie playing space chess. How do you fire the big lummox up?
Jay C
Roar Guru
Awful game of Rugby League.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Laurie Daley would be having nightmares about that game. Who do you pick. The half who tries to hard or the half that plays second receiver to a front rower. If losing a front rower makes your team fall apart like that then you really need a good look at your halfback. Honestly, not good enough. I am torn between wanting NSW to pick Trent because he just isn't very good. But the downside is with him at half it is going to be another boring, thugby style game. And picking Mitch, who I really enjoy watching, and who will play a more uptempo game plan, but is more of a worry to me as a Qlder. Terrible game really. Reynolds probably the best of the 4 halves.
Wolly
Roar Guru
I disagree with you, I don't think it was a good win for us, I'd say decent at best. Not even a convincing win considering Graham missed 50 minutes of the match, the tide turned as soon as he came off. He is easily the Bulldogs most influential player for mine. T-Rex really needs to get that fire in the belly. I'd be very disappointed with him if I was a Dogs fan considering he hasn't played to his potential since signing for Canterbury-Bankstown other than the odd game here and there.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Aiden Tolman once again makes 40+ tackles, 150 metres, and played over 60 minutes, not even discussed as an Origin selection. Clearly he needs to commit a couple of minor criminal offences or make some tip tackles. As for the game? well it was lost when T-Rex failed to tackle a man who ran directly through him.
Danno1
Guest
You can't fault the effort of the dogs (except maybe 1 player) but the execution, sheeesh! T-Rex should have been cut 2 years ago, we've lost Marty Tapau and Dale Finucane, 2 committed ferocious players right out of the best Bulldog mould. Instead we've kept a 110kg dilitettante who thinks he's a five eighth and god knows what else, but he refuses to be a committed attacker or defender in a game of rugby league. Poor old Hodkinson is just waaaaay off, some of those passes with the dogs attacking were woeful in their timing let alone direction. I think he's lost the modest speed he had and his confidence after his surgery in the off season. The dogs should have Reynolds and Mbye in the halves. But TB you're right Graham was our biggest loss and RTS just too hard to handle, he moves like a cross between Michael Jackson and Steve Ella.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Good win for the rooters. Losing graham was a big blow. I guess you notice it more when it's your own team but they need to sort something out for the concussion replacement. Too many mistakes coming out of their own end from the dogs. I've got concerns with how they're playing. Because they have so many big blokes their play the balls are so slow and they're running into a set defensive line. Defenders get a lot of leeway getting off the big fellas but overall too slow. What did Des do to get Trex playing like he did in 2011?
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
FULL TIME Dogs 10 Roosters 24 Well the Roosters come away as deserved winners here. They hung on early before pulling ahead on the stroke of half time. James Graham going off was the major turning point. The Dogs lost all control in the middle and lost their cohesion in the attacking zone. Neither sets of halves were brilliant during the match. Jake Friend had more try assists than Pearce and Maloney. Hodkinson and Reynolds were prevalent in the first half before falling away in the second half.
jamesb
Guest
Crowd 17,093 Crowd in Townsville 24,531
MJB
Guest
Not much of an Origin audition, honestly. Pearce and Maloney look lukewarm and Hokdo/Reynolds look completely insipid without someone like Graham in front of them.
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
78 min GOAL Dogs 10 Roosters 24 Hodkinson converts
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
77min Dogs 8 Roosters 24 Josh Reynoldspicks up and kicks the loose ball and Moses Mbye screams through to collect the ball and score under the posts.
jamesb
Guest
Segeyaro shouldn't play for QLD.
steveng
Roar Rookie
No try
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
74min NO TRY Dogs 4 Roosters 24 This is absolutely ridiculous. It started in the middle from a Pearce bomb that was allowed to bounce. Maloney had half an air swing, Tupou ends up with the ball and pops it to Guerra who puts up this terrible cross field kick. SKD knocks the ball back to Aubusson who throws it back to SKD. He kicks for himself and looks to have got there first. But he's knocked it on!!! They couldn't do that again if they tried.
Zedman
Roar Rookie
The Kiwis are having a good game.
jamesb
Guest
Ha ha what was Maloney doing? Could be a great try.