Game thread: Round 18 v NZ - 2006 NRL Game of the Year - what a match!

[Timmah]

Home game finally for us. The crowd will probably be a let down after an absolutely stunning turnout for our "away match" at Telstra where we smashed the Tigpies back to Campbelltown (Tigers home ground? :lol - but alas, we play the Warriors.

CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN v The NZ Warriors
Where else but Telstra?
Sunday 9 July, kick off is at 2:30pm.
On the tele live through Fox Sports.
Lower grade game at 12:45pm will be the Premier League boys shaping up against the Norths Bears. Flegg will be out at Belmore on Saturday also against Norths.

All our Origin boys are expected back, although keep your eyes peeled after the third game for any injury news.

We faced this mob in Round 8 at Ericsson and gave them a 30-16 touch-up. Of interest - we haven't played the Warriors at Telstra since it's Stadium Australia days in 2000. The result was an 18-all draw, and a pitiful crowd of 7,132.

THE DOGS LINEUP:
1. Luke Patten 2. Hazem El Masri 19. Andrew Emelio 4. Willie Tonga 5. Cameron Phelps 6. Daniel Holdsworth 18. Ben Roberts 8. Mark O'Meley 9. Tony Grimaldi 10. Roy Asotasi 3. Sonny Bill Williams 12. Andrew Ryan (c) 13. Reni Maitua
Interchange: 11. Willie Mason 14. Brad Morrin 15. Nate Myles 17. Dallas McIlwain
EDIT: 7. Brent Sherwin and 16. Chris Armit ruled out through injury. Ben Roberts and Andrew Emelio will replace the pair.

Sheep Shaggers: 1 BRENT WEBB 2 PATRICK AH VAN 3 TONY MARTIN 4 SIMON MANNERING 5 MANU VATUVEI 6 JEROME ROPATI 7 GRANT ROVELLI 8 RUBEN WIKI (VC) 9 NATHAN FIEN 10 STEVE PRICE (C) 11 AWEN GUTTENBEIL 12 LOUIS ANDERSON 13 SIONE FAUMUINA
Interchange: 14 LANCE HOHAIA 15 EVARN TUIMAVAVE 16 WAIRANGI KOOPU 17 MICHEAL LUCK. 18th MAN: SAM RAPIRA

Man in the middle is Shayne Hayne. Paul Holland and Steve Turner on the flanks. Video is Steve Nash.

MATCH RESULT:

Spoiler: Bulldogs v Warriors Round 18 Result

BULLDOGS 22 bt Warriors 18 in extra time.
A four tries to three victory. For us, Ryan, Tonga and Phelps all went in, with Shrek crossing in Extra Time to clinch the game. Hazem had 3 shots, all successful. The golden point try does not yield a conversion under NRL rules.

The Trans-Tasman visitors grabbed three also, all first half efforts, through Simon Mannering, Manu Vatuvei and Wairangi Koopu. The conversions were 2/3 for Martin who also slotted 1/1 in the penalty goal department.

The 'Dogs were down 18-12 at the break, and a fairly decent home crowd of 14,076 made the journey to Olympic Park Sydney to watch the 'Dogs clinch the thriller. The score after 80 minutes was 18-all, before the game went into extra time.

 

[PARANoIR]

1. Patten
2. Hazem
3. Williams
4. Tonga
5. Phelps/Cutler
6. Holdsworth
7. Sherwin
8. O'Meley
9. Grimaldi
10. Asotasi
11. Mason
12. Ryan
13. Maitua

14. Myles
15. Armit
16. Hickey
17. Irvine/Perry

If we get that side on the park, it will be the strongest we've named all year. Minus Utai obviously.

 

[jimmy_the_greek]

emelio might be back, he scored a try today in PL although i doubt he will be back, the dogs site says hughes is expected back next week also..

 

[Timmah]

Throw Emelio on the wing if we're going to put him somewhere. Remember too we have Hughes coming back, and as much as it pains me to say, he hit some good form before his injury. That said, do you dump Maitua or Grimaldi?

 

[PARANoIR]

If they ARE intent on bringing back Hughes to first grade next week, then Id do something like this..

Id firstly insist that Irvine remains, he's shown more than either Perry or Hughes.

Id put Grimaldi to lock, Reni to the Centres with SBW and call me stupid but I'd probably put Tonga on the wing. He's played wing before, he played on the wing in origin i think from memory, and did fine, so imo, for one game, thatd be better than using cutler or phelps or someone, because against the two giants the warriors have on the wing, its not the time to use inexperience wingers.

 

[Timmah]

Vatuvei is a shocking ball runner. Put him in space he's fine, but he practically walked himself across the touchline when confronted with defenders last night. That said, Tonga would be an excellent marker for him, he's a big bloke that Vatuvei.

 

[NIGHTMARE-HITTER]

Patrick Ah Van is not a big man but is a carbon copy of Steve Renouf.

That side if the Bulldogs put it out would be a premiership winning side. Dont know if the origin players would enjoy being bashed up again by the Warriors though. Every Warriors game this season someone has been stretched off.

What do Bulldogs fans think about playing the Warriors this week ?

 

[Timmah]

It will be tough, we struggle after Origin traditionally and I fear this will be no different. Good to see Shrek/Mason vs Price twice in one week... Should be a cracker few days of footy!

 

[bigdogsgottaeat]

I hope Hughes isn't back.

The only positive is that we look like we're playing good enough footy that we can cover for his mistakes. However I think the point is that we shouldn't need to cover for them!!!

Irvine should be our #9

I'm just happy we're finally playing a "home" game against the Warriors in Australia!

 

[Mixmasterreece]

Vatuvei is a shocking ball runner

A shocking ball runner? WTF

 

[Mixmasterreece]

Bloody hate playing you guys, always a good game but the Bulldogs kiwis always come back to bite us

Best of luck for the game

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Go ahead Doggies, go ahead and talk yerselves up. We'll see whose laughing come the 80 min mark on sunday

 

[Timmah]

Talk what up? We're discussing our positional options with returning and suspended players :|

mixmasterreece, did you notice Vatuvei run the ball into touch twice on Saturday without even looking for an offload?

 

[Iafeta]

Timmah, Vatuvei ran out of room once, the other time I think you are referring to Simon Mannering who thought he had them covered going for the try line as he was 2 for 2 at that stage.

You can always point to isolated instance, I mean I could point to him giving the side line to Paea the other week, gassing past him and putting Webb next to the posts. Or I could talk about him in that same game taking a ball 5 metres out from his own line under pressure and busting 65 metres up field. Or I could point to him having a metre to work with, 8 metres out from the try line running over four Knights defenders last year to score.

He's a strong ball runner - regularly he bends the defensive line back hitting the ball up, and he's a strong finisher. His weakness is the high ball in defence, though he is good going forward with it, and the ball along the ground.

Ah Van the other winger is no giant. He needs to bulk up a little bit more.

 

[ozbash]

Vatuvei is a shocking ball runner. pretty big call tim. give manu half a foot of space and he,ll go around you. give him none and he,ll go over you.

he is paired up with simon mannering, another big unit and they are starting to get the old "understanding" worked out.

his weakness is turning, hes like jonah,,,fair bit of him to move around.

i,m looking forward to this game.

 

[Timmah]

Vatuvei is a shocking ball runner. pretty big call tim. give manu half a foot of space and he,ll go around you. give him none and he,ll go over you.

he is paired up with simon mannering, another big unit and they are starting to get the old "understanding" worked out.

his weakness is turning, hes like jonah,,,fair bit of him to move around.

i,m looking forward to this game.

Give him none?

:lol: The kid ran over the touchline when Penrith gave him none on Saturday. Remember these kids are taking on Hazem, SBW, Tonga and Phelps this weekend, not Lee Hookey or the Panthers kids.

 

[-Dr.J-]

Go ahead Doggies, go ahead and talk yerselves up. We'll see whose laughing come the 80 min mark on sunday

Err don't get too carried away, the dogs are going to be a huge challenge for us and their fans aren't talking themselves up. They're simply a very good football team. Claiming we'll win so confidently is stupid.

This for me is a really important game. If the Warriors can get up for this one and win, they will show us all they are capable of winning the lot. I am greatly encouraged by their mid season form but I still have questions that they can answer in this game.

Lynchpin stuff, this game here.

 

[Iafeta]

Give him none?

:lol: The kid ran over the touchline when Penrith gave him none on Saturday. Remember these kids are taking on Hazem, SBW, Tonga and Phelps this weekend, not Lee Hookey or the Panthers kids.

The cover defender was Luke Priddis. Tackled, not ran.

Only once, not multiple times as before. Simon Mannering was the other and he was banking on a hat-trick.

 

[Timmah]

No, ran. Priddis might be one of the top tacklers, but it boggled me when he ended up over the touchline. He had plenty of options where he was. Wouldn't have said anything otherwise.

 

[kiwi_man]

vatuveis stats 9 hitups for 141metres 1 linebreak, he is a machine, his hands let him down at times but i must say he is a terrific ball runner