I’m a bit betwixt and between with trying to predict this one. I had a close look at the Bulldogs v Sharks match from last week and the Bulldogs defence was great for the first 25 minutes. The Sharks were incredibly impressive for the whole game and their forwards were sensational , especially Hazeltown and Talakai when they came off the bench. This was the best overall forward performance from any team that I’ve seen this year.
The Bulldogs did very well to limit the Sharks to 4 tries , with one coming from a Tracey error from a kick return. But the Bulldogs’ attack remained a problem with the main threats being a Preston edge run or a left foot step from Burton.
With both coaches playing ducks and drakes we won’t know the run on teams until an hour before kick off. And in this match I think the selections will determine the winner. I can see where Bellamy is coming from with Meaney to fullback. Without Paps they need a bit of extra zing from fullback to exploit a likely novice Bulldogs left edge. And if Burton plays left centre he can be a bit vulnerable to a good stepper and his kicking game might not be as effective.
With Munster at five eighth they have an extra kicker with Grant , Wishart and Pezet(when he’s on the field) to launch cross field bombs or just little dinky little kicks to Coates and Warbrick. Kiraz can do a job defending these against Coates but Warbrick is almost as good as Coates in the air with his extensive AFL background. And Katoa presents yet another aerial threat to the Bulldogs.
If Grant and Meaney play well I think the Storm will win. If Burton plays well the Bulldogs are a chance. All depends how the Bulldogs recover from the physical hammering from the Sharks last week.
Without a great deal of confidence due to the run on teams remaining a mystery at this point in time:
Storm by 2.
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