The penultimate round of the NRL regular season kicks off with a Bulldog fairytale still burning bright.
Canterbury head far north chasing a fifth straight win as they tackle the Cowboys in Townsville.
It’s the last NRL game at 1300 Smiles Stadium, also known as the Willows Sports Complex. Next year the Cowboys will run out onto the shiny new North Queensland Stadium.
Canterbury have won six of their last eight games to move to 12th in the standings. They are in with a puncher’s chance of pulling off a miracle finals appearance.
To apply some reality though, an awful lot has to go right for the Dogs to extend their season. They need to win this game and their last and rely on a combination of other results that would make Alan Turing throw his hands up in outright despair.
The Bulldogs (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
It’s hard to predict how the Cowboys will attack the game, even though it’s the last at the stadium and they’ll be honouring legendary front rower Matt Scott by retiring the number eight jersey.
A lot of local emotion is going to be around, but there’s also the unarguable fact that North Queensland are out of finals contention and have been playing like it for a long time.
From Rounds 10 to 12 the Cowboys won three on the trot, including a win over Parramatta and knocking over Canberra in Canberra. They looked like they might be able to make something of themselves in 2019 but in the ten games since they’ve only managed two more wins.
These teams last met in Round 7 at Homebush when the Bulldogs won 24-12. It’s 6-4 North Queensland’s way in the last ten match-ups, somewhat of a mild surprise given Canterbury’s barren run of late.
The Cowboys got themselves back on the winners list last week with a 24-10 win against finals aspirant Penrith. Forwards Scott Bolton (125 metres and 35 tackles), Jordan McLean (150 and 24) and Jason Taumalolo (152, 36 and a try) were dominant against good opposition.
Perhaps the best Cowboys performance of last week was from 24-year-old prop Francis Molo, who ran for 134 metres and made 23 tackles without a miss in just 35 minutes of on-field time.
North Queensland coach Paul Green liked what he saw so much against the Panthers that he’s running with the same 17 who got the job done. John Asiata is named at five-eighth partnering Michael Morgan, more heartening news for us fans of big man plays and big man athletic displays.
Dean Pay has replaced the suspended Reimis Smith with rookie winger Jayden Okunbor, who had had an up and down debut season. Sometimes Okunbor looks like hoe could dominate the game for years to come, sometimes you need to remind yourself he’s out there at all. That comes with the territory of a young fella and high expectation.
Canterbury’s fourth consecutive win came at the expense of Parramatta, who had top four plans in mind before they were stopped at Bankwest Stadium 12-6.
Jason Taumalolo. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
A feature of this Bulldogs’ streak is that they haven’t really put anyone to the sword. Their attack has struggled all year to put big points on the board, shown up by their reaching or topping 20 points just four times in 22 games. Even the maligned wooden spooner Gold Coast Titans have scored 20 points or more seven times.
The Bulldogs average just 13 points per game, that’s three fewer than the Titans’ average of 16.
Canterbury’s highest score in these four latest wins is 18, a testament to their heart and organisation in defence which has kept them in contests much longer than perhaps they had a right to be.
Prediction
We all love a sporting miracle and it would certainly be a miracle if the Bulldogs could keep themselves in the conversation for a top eight spot.
But North Queensland are farewelling one of their greatest players in matt Scott and will be keen to give their fans a happy sendoff before they move into North Queensland Stadium next season.
Sorry Doggies fans, but this fairytale won’t end happily ever after.
Cowboys by a nose.
Teams
Cowboys
1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Jordan Kahu, 4. Tom Opcacic, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. John Asiata, 7. Michael Morgan, 16. Scott Bolton, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Shane Wright, 13. Jason Taumalolo
Bench/Reserves: 14. Reuben Cotter, 15. Coen Hess, 17. Francis Molo, 18. Peter Hola, 19. Tom Gilbert, 21. Enari Tuala
Bulldogs
1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 2. Nick Meaney, 3. Kerrod Holland, 4. Will Hopoate, 5. Jayden Okunbor, 6. Kieran Foran, 7. Lachlan Lewis, 8. Aiden Tolman, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Dylan Napa, 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Corey Harawira-Naera, 13. Adam Elliott
Bench/Reserves: 14. Jack Cogger, 15. Renouf Toomaga, 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 17. Chris Smith, 19. Danny Fualalo, 20. Morgan Harper
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Dandragon
Roar Rookie
You should try harder. Another nonsensical rambling of nothing relevant to anything.
AJ Mithen
Expert
gross isn't it
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
He played like a champion in the 2014 GF and was one of the best 4 or 5 on ground IMO. The Dogs have desperately needed a hooker for 5 or 6 years. Happy days CPB. ;-)
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Sad to see Api leave at the end of 19, he’s been really great for Manly in really trying times. I hope he finishes on a high note like he did at the Bunnies. The Dogs are getting a real champion.
Rob
Guest
Well i'm hoping for a reverse score line to the original opening home game against the Bulldogs in 1995. A 32-16 win to the Cowboys. The Dogs won the comp in 1995 and the Cowboys have come a long way since then. Here's hoping, come on the Cowboys. Ye ha
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
A terrible name yes, but very effective advertising for a chain of dental clinics. Try getting that number out of your head now. Just like the old Pizza Hut ad sung to the tune of the theme from "The Lone Ranger" series (William Tell Overture - Rossini)... 481 double 1 double 1, 481 double 1 double 1, 481 double 1 double 1, Pizza Hut delivery! 30 years later and I still can't get that out of my head. :-(
BA Sports
Roar Guru
Eerr They do program the games before the start of the season, Noosa Duck is actually stating a fact. Unlike where you say the Roosters are rorting the cap (unless you have access to all their contracts and proof to the contrary). But as you say - Believe that if you need to and if you want to sleep peacefully at night...
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Hey CPB! The Bulldogs have signed Api Koroisau for 2020 so Michael Lichaa can go back the being "Brutus the Bulldog", the Dog's mascot! ;-) Bulldogs beat Warriors to snare Sea Eagles rake Api Koroisau on $1.5M deal https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/bulldogs/bulldogs-beat-warriors-to-snare-sea-eagles-rake-api-koroisau-on-15m-deal/news-story/325d1fe35fe7411e0653887e8b96eda3
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Believe that if you need to and if you want to sleep peacefully at night. But think about the Roosters salary cap rort and the Melbourne Storm's wresting and grappling dominance and remember which two teams are at the top of the ladder and how differently things would look if the NRL had chosen to clamp down on both sides.
TJ
Guest
Thank God we will never need to hear "1300 Smiles stadium" again. Terrible name.
kk
Roar Pro
Your scoring average points per game comparison, Bulldogs 13 to Titans 16 is certainly a reality check. Morgan is way overdue for a big one and Chris Sutton may be influenced by the locals. Not so confident now. No bet.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
I always thought it was a pretty good stadium, I just hope that the bigger better stadium gets capacity crowds . I love the games at places like Leichhardt and Brookvale & Win Stadiums full of local mad passionate fans. Newcastle always turn out at McDonald Jones and it is a terrific atmosphere. That game at Gosford the other week, was a beauty and the one up here on the sunny coast packed to the rafters and who can forget that magnificent spectacle that Tonga V Samoa game last year sensational that was,
TAZZ
Roar Rookie
I’ll bring a monotone cocktail
TAZZ
Roar Rookie
It would save a lot a demolition time.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
Tough one to pick (and most likely to watch). Cows haven't won many games this year and even then, some of the wins have been pretty ugly. They (usually) stay in the fight for 80 minutes though. The Dogs are on a winning role, but they are not scoring points. If Penrith was an example of winning without scoring points, then we have seen that sooner or later the wheels will come off. But Penrith were winning, scoring few points and making plenty of mistakes. The Dogs complete well and are disciplined (except when as a pack they attack a single player being spoken to by a ref) so I think there is a little more legitimacy to their winning run. This could be a tough watch - a bit of a grind. Hopefully the Cowboys play with a 'lets entertain' philosophy and the Dogs are forced to try and go with them. Too many mistakes in the Cowboys for my liking, so I will take the Dogs but who knows, maybe the ball sticks for the Cowboys tonight.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
They might do a Parra, mate, burn the joint down :happy: :silly: :happy:
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
I think the dogs are on a roll and they are playing more so to prove the critics wrong than anything else....All year we have heard "Well, look at the cattle Dean Pay has to work with" what do you expect? Along with that the so called media experts predicting the club to sack Pay. Well guess what, the cattle felt insulted, the club had a plan and were right behind their coach and look at where they are now. Well and truly exceeding expectations. Pity a couple of other clubs did not understand the virtues of "solidarity" I reckon this will be a far better game than many expect but I am with the dogs ,,,
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Max , when they do the programming they have no idea where the teams are going to be sitting on the ladder, it just happens to be the way the season turns out. :rugby:
TAZZ
Roar Rookie
My prediiton for the evening, if the Cowboys lose, expect the public of Townsville to riot and tear the stadium apart. Bulldogs fans don't bother turning up tonight, things may (and probably will) get very ugly if your team wins tonight. Townsville has had a really $hit year with the floods, business closers and the Cowboys having another terrible season and the last thing we wont is to be beaten by the likes of the Bulldogs.
Max power
Guest
Manly v Melbourne and Cronulla v Canberra are locked away on pay tv while channel 9 continues to get poor ratings for games like this Who thought programming games 11 months ago would end up with sub optimal exposure ?