Bulldogs v Dragons preview

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v St. George Illawarra Dragons
ANZ Stadium - Monday 4:00pm

Can a near full strength Bulldogs halt the Dragons hot run?

When these two teams were pencilled in for the Queen's Birthday fixture, one could be forgiven for assuming their positions on the ladder would be reversed. The fact the Dragons are sitting atop the competition tree and the Bulldogs are sitting ninth means the NRL have probably struck gold with this piece of scheduling. A near full strength Bulldogs team will be pressing for a win to get back into the top eight, whilst the high flying Dragons will be looking to continue on their merry way. Weather permitting, a bumper crowd should be in attendance to view a cracking game of Rugby League.

Without their Origin stars and skipper James Graham, the Bulldogs managed to snap a three game losing streak against the Raiders in Canberra two weeks ago, before enjoying a much needed bye last week. They'll have the luxury of welcoming back their Origin quartet of Josh Morris, Trent Hodkinson, Josh Jackson and David Klemmer, along with James Graham. Hodkinson's inclusion at halfback means young gun Moses Mbye will shift to the centres for the injured Tim Lafai, although there is hope that Lafai along with Brett Morris will be late inclusions. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Tony Williams will be a late scratching after tearing a pectoral muscle at training this week.

The Dragons form has been outstanding, winning eight out of their last nine contests, mainly on the back of their brick wall like defence. They have more than proven their worth in attack the last couple of weeks as well, stepping up a gear to pile on a combined 74 points against the Raiders and Sharks. Hard running back-rower Joel Thompson will return from injury to even further strengthen their side, with Will Matthews shifting back to the bench for Jake Marketo, who misses out this week.

Last Meeting: The Dragons had already won three straight matches, but it was this fixture in round six this year where they announced themselves as the real deal, dominating in a 31-6 victory over the Bulldogs.

Who to watch: After making a strong Origin debut for the Blues last week, Bulldogs giant David Klemmer will be looking to dominate back at NRL level. Averaging just shy of 120 metres per game, Klemmer always makes an impact upon entering the pitch and he'll need to against an underrated and hardworking Dragons pack. Like all the great players, Klemmer seems to lift another cog in the big matches and taking on the competition leaders will more than spur him on.

Talked about as one of the potential replacements for Robbie Farah in Origin has been Dragons rake Mitch Rein. Always full of potential, Rein has taken his game to a higher and more consistent level this year, troubling opposition defences with his sharp darts out of dummy half including five line breaks. As big an advantage as the Bulldogs monstrous pack can be, it can also be their weakness. Rein will be looking to expose some tiring Bulldogs forwards around the ruck, particularly late in each half.

The Favourite: Despite sitting on top of the ladder, the Dragons will wear the underdog tag in this one. The Bulldogs hold slight favouritism with many expecting them to rise to the occasion.

My Tip: If there's any team in the comp that can lift for a big match despite their recent form, its Des Hasler's Bulldogs. Nearing full strength and up against the competition leaders, expect Coach Dessie to have his team up for this one. In a classic encounter that goes right down to the wire, I'm tipping a Trent Hodkinson field goal the difference. Bulldogs by 1.

1. Sam Perrett 2. Curtis Rona 3. Josh Morris 4. Moses Mbye 5. Corey Thompson 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Trent Hodkinson 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Michael Lichaa 10. James Graham 11. Josh Jackson 12. Frank Pritchard 13. Greg Eastwood
Interchange: 14. Sam Kasiano 15. Tim Browne 16. Tony Williams 17. David Klemmer

1. Josh Dugan 2. Eto Nabuli 3. Euan Aitken 4. Peter Mata'utia 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Benji Marshall 8. Leeson Ah Mau 9. Mitch Rein 10. Mike Cooper 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Joel Thompson 13. Trent Merrin
Interchange: 14. Ben Creagh 15. Will Matthews 16. Heath L'Estrange 17. Jack de Belin 19. Jake Marketo

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Nick Beashel, Adam Reid; Video Referees: Shayne Hayne, Ben Galea;

Check out all the action live in our Match Centre