NRL finals: Bulldogs keen to take a bite out of top four contenders Broncos, Warriors, Dragons, Sharks
THE Bulldogs vow to ‘wreck that momentum’ of top four candidates the Broncos, Warriors, Dragons and Sharks as they strive to show pride in the jersey.
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CANTERBURY’S finals fate has long been sealed but they will have plenty to say about the race for the top four.
The Bulldogs have a tough run home, which starts on Thursday night against Brisbane at ANZ Stadium. They then play Manly, the New Zealand Warriors, St George Illawarra and Cronulla.
All of those teams, except the Sea Eagles, will be trying to cement a top-four finish.
Bulldogs halfback Jeremy Marshall-King has warned that sides which treated Canterbury like “easybeats” were in for a rude shock.
“We’ll go into every game looking to do what’s best for us, just show pride in our jersey,” he said.
“But we’re not going to hold anything back and we plan on leaving everything on the field.
“We have a tough draw and we are focused on putting our best foot forward and finishing with pride back in our jersey.
“But, yeah, we want to make it as hard as possible for the other teams along the way.”
Bulldogs fullback Will Hopoate wasn’t as diplomatic. He said causing maximum havoc to their finals-bound rivals was high on the agenda.
“I think that’s what every bottom-eight team tries to do, wreck that momentum for those that are playing finals footy,’’ Hopoate said.
“We’re not focused on the other teams but, yeah, absolutely we want to be a thorn in the side of those teams.”
The Bulldogs will be without enforcer David Klemmer after he accepted a one-week ban for dangerous contact.
The forward was cited for a late hit on his former teammate Moses Mbye in Canterbury’s 16-4 win against the Wests Tigers.
His loss is a huge blow to the Bulldogs’ chances against the Broncos, whose pack can cause plenty of damage through the middle.
Danny Fualalo, who coach Dean Pay has given the role of impact player off the bench, said he was ready to step up in Klemmer’s absence.
And he has Brisbane’s wrecking ball Tevita Pangai Jr squarely in his sights.
“He’s the main one to stop,” Fualalo said. “His running game is outstanding at the moment. His offloads are dangerous as well. We need to try and get up and get into his face and shut him down.
“We had a good game the last time we played them. It was tough in the middle and that’s where the game is going to won this week, I reckon.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for us. We play a similar type of footy in that both teams like to get into the grind.
“They are dangerous in attack as well, though, and create something out of nothing. We have to be careful of that, too.”
In a boost to Pay’s forward stocks, lock Adam Elliott will be available after he failed to finish Friday night’s game because of concussion.
Bench forward Clay Priest is likely to miss another week with an elbow injury.
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