Both the Bulldogs and Dragons are desperate for a win as the pressure mounts following three straight losses.
St George Illawarra were held scoreless against the Warriors at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday in round three, while Canterbury copped a bulldozing by the Sea Eagles at the same venue a day later.
The Dragons have had the wood on the Bulldogs in recent times, racking up big scores against them twice last season.
Match: Bulldogs v Dragons
Round 4 -
home Team
Bulldogs
12th Position
away Team
Dragons
16th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
The Rundown
Team News
Bulldogs: In positional changes announced an hour before kick-off, Raymond Faitala-Mariner moves from the bench to start at lock, Adan Elliott from lock to second row and Dean Britt from the second-row to the bench. Ofahiki Ogden and Brandon Wakeham were the last two players dropped from the squad. On Sunday the club announced that winger Christian Crichton is out of the team, with Jake Averillo (No.14) to start on the wing. Kieran Foran returns in the halves in place of Jack Cogger. Crichton and Sione Katoa were the two players left out 24 hours before the match.
Dragons: The Dragons will start 1-17 after Tyrell Fuimaono and Jacob Host were omitted an hour before kick-off. Adam Clune copped a broken nose at training on Tuesday but it won't prevent him from making his NRL debut at halfback. His inclusion means Corey Norman shifts to fullback. Josh Kerr has been promoted to the starting pack for Korbin Sims, while Trent Merrin and Issac Luke join the interchange with Tyrell Fuimaono dropping out. Matt Dufty and Jackson Ford were dropped from the reserves bench 24 hours before the match. Ben Hunt and Mikaele Ravalawa scored three tries in two games against the Bulldogs in 2019.
Match: Bulldogs v Dragons
Round 4 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Dragons
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Dallin Watene-ZelezniakFullback for Dragons is number 1 Corey Norman
-
Winger for Bulldogs is number 2 Nick MeaneyWinger for Dragons is number 2 Jordan Pereira
-
Centre for Bulldogs is number 3 Reimis SmithCentre for Dragons is number 3 Brayden Wiliame
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Centre for Bulldogs is number 4 Will HopoateCentre for Dragons is number 4 Zac Lomax
-
Winger for Bulldogs is number 14 Jake AverilloWinger for Dragons is number 5 Mikaele Ravalawa
-
Five-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Kieran ForanFive-Eighth for Dragons is number 6 Ben Hunt
-
Halfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Lachlan LewisHalfback for Dragons is number 7 Adam Clune
Forwards
-
Prop for Bulldogs is number 8 Aiden TolmanProp for Dragons is number 8 Josh Kerr
-
Hooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Jeremy Marshall-KingHooker for Dragons is number 9 Cameron McInnes
-
Prop for Bulldogs is number 10 Dylan NapaProp for Dragons is number 10 Paul Vaughan
-
2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 11 Josh Jackson2nd Row for Dragons is number 11 Tyson Frizell
-
2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 13 Adam Elliott2nd Row for Dragons is number 12 Tariq Sims
-
Lock for Bulldogs is number 16 Raymond Faitala-MarinerLock for Dragons is number 13 James Graham
Interchange
-
Interchange for Bulldogs is number 12 Dean BrittInterchange for Dragons is number 14 Trent Merrin
-
Interchange for Bulldogs is number 15 Renouf AtoniInterchange for Dragons is number 15 Blake Lawrie
-
Interchange for Bulldogs is number 17 Sauaso SueInterchange for Dragons is number 16 Issac Luke
-
Interchange for Bulldogs is number 20 Kerrod HollandInterchange for Dragons is number 17 Euan Aitken
Match Officials
- Referee: Henry Perenara
- Touch Judge: Todd Smith
- Touch Judge: Gavin Badger
- Senior Review Official: Jared Maxwell
Last updated:
Key Match-Up
They play different positions, but the influence that rival captains Cameron McInnes and Josh Jackson have on their teams is comparable. Both men possess insatiable workloads and very rarely play a bad game. Whichever team wins, you can bet their skipper will have a large role in the performance.
