Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs return from the bye weekend to take on the St George Illawarra Dragons in the club's annual Queen's Birthday clash in Round 14 this Monday at Stadium Australia.
St George Illawarra come into the fixture full of confidence, after overcoming a 3 game losing streak to dispatch the Brisbane Broncos 52-24 last Thursday night at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
The Pack will be out to avenge their 32-12 defeat to the Red V suffered earlier in the season in Round 9. Trent Barrett's side showed some promise in the first half against table leaders Penrith Panthers in Round 12, and will be hoping to put out an 80 minute performance to close out the long weekend.
Ultimate Security Match Preview: Round 14 v Dragons
TEAM NEWS
Bulldogs:
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is out, with Tuipulotu Katoa named to start at fullback. Jeremy Marshall-King (foot) has been named to make his return from injury but Lachlan Lewis (ribs) and Corey Allan (shoulder) are more likely in round 15. Along with Watene-Zelezniak, Joe Stimson was left out 24 hours before the match. Brad Deitz (hamstring) and fellow dummy-half Jackson Topine drop out of the 21-man squad. The club is not impacted by State of Origin and should be 1-17. Bulldogs centre Nick Cotric has scored four tries in six games against the Dragons.
Dragons: Anthony Griffin has included Tariq Sims in the reserves with the enforcer set to prove his fitness in the five-day turnaround. Sims' availability could see a reshuffle with Jack Bird named to start in the back row. Adam Clune and Billy Burns were the two players left out on the eve of the match. Poasa Faamausili suffered a head knock last week and will need to pass concussion protocols to play.
Match: Bulldogs v Dragons
Round 14 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Dragons
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Bulldogs is number 21 Tuipulotu KatoaFullback for Dragons is number 1 Matt Dufty
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Winger for Bulldogs is number 2 Nick CotricWinger for Dragons is number 2 Cody Ramsey
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Centre for Bulldogs is number 3 Will HopoateCentre for Dragons is number 3 Brayden Wiliame
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Centre for Bulldogs is number 4 Aaron SchouppCentre for Dragons is number 4 Gerard Beale
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Winger for Bulldogs is number 5 Nick MeaneyWinger for Dragons is number 5 Mikaele Ravalawa
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Five-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Brandon WakehamFive-Eighth for Dragons is number 6 Corey Norman
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Halfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Jake AverilloHalfback for Dragons is number 7 Ben Hunt
Forwards
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Prop for Bulldogs is number 8 Jack HetheringtonProp for Dragons is number 8 Blake Lawrie
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Hooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Jeremy Marshall-KingHooker for Dragons is number 9 Andrew McCullough
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Prop for Bulldogs is number 10 Luke ThompsonProp for Dragons is number 10 Paul Vaughan
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2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 11 Adam Elliott2nd Row for Dragons is number 12 Jack Bird
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2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Matt Doorey2nd Row for Dragons is number 20 Tariq Sims
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Lock for Bulldogs is number 13 Josh JacksonLock for Dragons is number 13 Jackson Ford
Interchange
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Interchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Sione KatoaInterchange for Dragons is number 11 Josh Kerr
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Interchange for Bulldogs is number 15 Dylan NapaInterchange for Dragons is number 14 Talatau Amone
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Interchange for Bulldogs is number 16 Ava SeumanufagaiInterchange for Dragons is number 16 Daniel Alvaro
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Interchange for Bulldogs is number 20 Corey WaddellInterchange for Dragons is number 17 Jack De Belin
Reserves
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Reserve for Bulldogs is number 19 Kyle FlanaganReserve for Dragons is number 15 Poasa Faamausili
Match Officials
- Referee: Gerard Sutton
- Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
- Touch Judge: Todd Smith
- Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein
Last updated:
KEY MATCH-UP
Nick Cotric v Mikaele Ravalawa: Nick Cotric will look to inject himself early when he lines up against the Dragons. The winger has been a handful from the back, often picking up plenty of yardage out of dummy half when getting his side out of their own half.
Mikaele Ravalawa had a sensational start to the season, building a formidable partnership with Zac Lomax which has yielded several tries down the right edge. Though injuries to centre partner Lomax and Ravalawa missing games due to suspension, the Fijian international will be looking to get the Dragon's season back on track for a top 8 berth in September.
STAT ATTACK
Cotric has had a challenging year to date, but has shown glimpses of the form that earned him State of Origin and Kangaroo's honours. The winger has averaged a 135m per game in 2021, scored 3 tries and broke the line 7 times for the season. Although Mikaele has had a start-stop season, the winger has been a consistent performer this year raking in 9 tries, running an average 138m per game and 8 line breaks in 2021.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs host the St George Illawarra Dragons at Stadium Australia this Monday afternoon. Don't miss out on this week's Round 14 fixture with tickets on sale at here.
