Go back a month and Warriors fans were probably licking their lips at the thought of facing a struggling Bulldogs side at home in Auckland, but come Friday night they will find themselves playing a revitalized Dogs team who pushed the second-placed Cowboys all the way in Round 21.
After leading with half an hour to go, the Bulldogs fell just short of jogging it with North Queensland but will have taken plenty of confidence from the performance and still have two wins from their last three matches, with their key players in good form.
The Warriors on the other hand were never in the contest against the Rabbitohs in an eventual 48-10 defeat, with a number of worrying defensive lapses which saw South Sydney at times stroll through for tries both in the middle of the park and on the edges .
Neither side will be playing finals football this year, but the Warriors will be desperate to perform well in their third game at Mt Smart Stadium this year, while Canterbury-Bankstown will want to continue their late-season resurgence with another victory.
The Rundown
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Warriors: Another change at five-eighth with Daejarn Asi back in the halves and Wayde Egan moving from No.6 back to his usual position of hooker. Freddy Lussick goes back to the bench and Taniela Otukolo drops to the reserves. Viliami Vailea is back in the centers for his first NRL game since breaking his jaw in Round 12, so Euan Aitken goes back to the pack in place of Bayley Sironen. Josh Curran is the new lock, replacing Aaron Pene who is out with a leg injury.
Bulldogs: Tevita Pangai Jnr has remained in Australia for family reasons and was unavailable for selection so Raymond Faitala-Mariner will start at lock as he did last week. Rookie Harrison Edwards joins the interchange after serving as the Bulldogs’ replacement player in Round 21.
key match-up
Tohu Harris vs. Josh Jackson: The forward leaders for their respective teams. Both topped the tackle count in their game last week, with Harris also averaging 10 meters each time he carried the ball against South Sydney. Jackson has been somewhat of an unsung hero in the Bulldogs’ improving attack, last week handling the ball more than anyone outside of his side’s halves and hooker.
Stat Attack
The Bulldogs thrive off the second-phase play generated by the likes of Tevita Pangai Junior, with Matt Burton and co always sniffing around for an offload, which the Bulldogs produce more of than any team bar the Eels and Raiders this year, at an average of 11.3 per game. The Warriors on the other hand have the lowest offload count in the competition at an average of 6.4 per game, despite having players like fullback Reece Walsh who are dangerous when plays can be extended.