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Match Preview

Eels v Bulldogs: Moses back on deck; Thompson ready to return

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pan66.com
Timestamp

The Eels' loss to fellow contenders Souths dropped them from fifth to seventh on the ladder and in danger of being passed by the Roosters unless they can rebound in Round 23.

Since their bye in Round 13 the Eels have gone L-W-L-W-W-L-W-L, a rollercoaster ride which has seen them spoken about as premiership contenders one week and inconsistent under-achievers the next.

That stretch of games started with a shock loss to the Bulldogs in Round 14 and that's the opponent they confront again this week in front of what us sure to be a raucous crowd at CommBank Stadium.

The Bulldogs looked jaded in Auckland on Friday but they've had a chance to recharge their batteries and will be buoyed by the news of Cameron Ciraldo's arrival as head coach in 2023.

Sportsbet Betting preview: Eels v Bulldogs

The Rundown

Team news

Eels: Marata Niukore will start the game and Ryan Matterson goes to the bench in a late switch. Halfback Mitch Moses returns from the broken finger he suffered in Round 20. Jake Arthur is 18th Man.

Bulldogs: Tevita Pangai jnr moves into the starting side an hour before kick-off with Harrison Edwards going to the bench. Englishman Luke Thompson is back for his first game Round 12 after battling concussion effects. Jackson Topine and Chris Patolo are the two players to make way for the return of Pangai and Thompson.

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton Gutherson
    Fullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Jake Averillo
  • Winger for Eels is number 2 Maika Sivo
    Winger for Bulldogs is number 2 Jacob Kiraz
  • Centre for Eels is number 3 Will Penisini
    Centre for Bulldogs is number 3 Aaron Schoupp
  • Centre for Eels is number 4 Tom Opacic
    Centre for Bulldogs is number 4 Braidon Burns
  • Winger for Eels is number 5 Waqa Blake
    Winger for Bulldogs is number 5 Josh Addo-Carr
  • Five-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan Brown
    Five-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Matt Burton
  • Halfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell Moses
    Halfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Kyle Flanagan

Forwards

  • Prop for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
    Prop for Bulldogs is number 8 Max King
  • Hooker for Eels is number 9 Reed Mahoney
    Hooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Jeremy Marshall-King
  • Prop for Eels is number 10 Junior Paulo
    Prop for Bulldogs is number 10 Paul Vaughan
  • 2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane
    2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner
  • 2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i
    2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 23 Tevita Pangai Junior  
  • Lock for Eels is number 17 Marata Niukore
    Lock for Bulldogs is number 13 Josh Jackson

Interchange

  • Interchange for Eels is number 13 Ryan Matterson
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 11 Harrison Edwards
  • Interchange for Eels is number 14 Ofahiki Ogden
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Zach Dockar-Clay 
  • Interchange for Eels is number 15 Bryce Cartwright
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 15 Joe Stimson
  • Interchange for Eels is number 16 Oregon Kaufusi
    Interchange for Bulldogs is number 22 Luke Thompson

Reserves

  • Replacement for Eels is number 20 Jake Arthur
    Replacement for Bulldogs is number 17 Chris Patolo

Match Officials

  • Referee: Ashley Klein
  • Touch Judge: Chris Sutton
  • Touch Judge: Kasey Badger
  • Senior Review Official: Adam Gee

Last updated:

Key match-up

Junior Paulo v Paul Vaughan: After making 187 metres in Round 20 against Penrith and 173 against Manly in Round 21, Paulo was restricted to just 74 metres in the loss to the Rabbitohs so he'll be on a mission from the opening whistle. Vaughan, meanwhile, has played all 21 games for the Dogs and is churning out 134 metres and 29 tackles per match. In a badly beaten pack he still ran for 160 metres in 54 minutes of game time against the Warriors.

Stat Attack

The Eels lead the NRL in offloads with 278 and the Bulldogs sit third with 241. Tevita Pangai jnr leads the way for the Dogs with 47 offloads while Ryan Matterson is Parramatta's best with 33. That figure for TPJ puts him at the top of the offloading tree after 22 rounds, seven clear of Panther Viliame Kikau.

Related

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.