Having climbed off the bottom of the ladder with consecutive wins the Bulldogs look to continue their resurgence against the fifth-placed Sharks.
With Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr combining superbly the Bulldogs have racked up 70 points in the past fortnight to blow the Eels and Tigers off the park and they look to be enjoying their footy under Mick Potter.
The Sharks started fast with wins in five of their first seven games but have been inconsistent in the ensuing seven games with victories over the Titans twice and Warriors twice punctuated by losses to fellow contenders Brisbane, Canberra and the Roosters.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon will be looking for his side to make a real statement against the Bulldogs ahead of a huge month in which they face the Storm, Cowboys, Panthers and Rabbitohs.
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The Rundown
Team news
Bulldogs: A late positional switch for the home side with Corey Waddell coming into the starting side for Raymond Faitala-Mariner, who goes back to the bench. Coach Mick Potter will miss the clash as he isolates due to COVID protocols. Declan Casey will make his debut after being called into the centres to replace Corey Allan. Matt Burton will play after his stunning Origin debut while Kurt Morrin is good to go after picking up a shoulder injury on debut against the Tigers in Round 15.
Sharks: Only the one change for the visitors with Cameron McInnes moving to the bench and Dale Finucane starting. The Sharks will roll out the same side that downed the Titans with Siosifa Talakai and Nicho Hynes returning from the victorious Blues camp and Ronaldo Mulitalo riding high after a fine Test debut for the Kiwis.
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Key match-up
Kyle Flanagan v Nicho Hynes: The Bulldogs playmaker has found form big time in the past two weeks, combining superbly in the halves with Matt Burton to unleash his side's attack. When things were tough early in the season the Bulldogs took seven games to rack up 70 points but they've scored that many in a fortnight with Flanagan standing tall. Hynes has enjoyed a magnificent season since joining the Sharks with 15 forced dropouts, eight try assists, 14 line break assists and 30 offloads. The former Storm man has the size and speed to carve up a defensive line and he'll make the Dogs pay if they give him room to move.
Stat Attack
Sharks flyer Ronaldo Mulitalo leads the NRL for line breaks with 20 in 12 matches and his team-mate Sione Katoa is third on the list with 14. Bulldogs star Josh Addo-Carr is fourth in the NRL with 13 line breaks.
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