Eels v Bulldogs: Hodgson out, Hopgood starts; Waddell, Okunbor in
With Mitch Moses at his majestic best the Eels snared a second win of the season on Monday but they still have plenty of work to do as they head into a showdown with old rivals Canterbury.
Moses laid on four tries and pulled the strings superbly as the Eels did enough to hold off a gutsy Tigers outfit while the presence of edge forwards Ryan Matterson and Shaun Lane gives the 2022 grand finalists a more potent look.
The Bulldogs are coming off a horror Good Friday in which they conceded 50 points against Souths and lost their most dangerous attacking weapon Josh Addo-Carr to a serious ankle injury.
Cameron Ciraldo's men had already been dealt some harsh blows with injuries in the forwards but in Addo-Carr, Matt Burton and Jacob Kiraz they had firepower out wide to ensure they could put pressure on opposition defences.
Addo-Carr had posted five tries and 23 line breaks in the opening six matches and his X-factor will be sorely missed but the Bulldogs have shown plenty of resolve in most games and they are sure to be up for the fight.
Match: Eels v Bulldogs
Round 7 -
home Team
Eels
10th Position
away Team
Bulldogs
14th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Team News
Eels: A few late changes for the home side. Veteran hooker Josh Hodgson is out with Brendan Hands to start. Bryce Cartwright moves back to the bench with Ryan Matterson starting on the edge and J'Maine Hopgood coming into the starting side at lock. Matt Doorey is the new man on the bench with Jakob Arthur 18th man.
Bulldogs: The Bulldogs were dealt a blow on Wednesday when Viliame Kikau suffered a pectoral injury at training. Corey Waddell moves into the starting side as does Jayden Okunbor on the wing for Josh Addo-Carr. The new faces on the bench are Jackson Topine and Andrew Davey. Declan Casey will be 18th man.
Match: Eels v Bulldogs
Round 7 -
home Team
Eels
away Team
Bulldogs
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton GuthersonFullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Hayze Perham
-
Winger for Eels is number 2 Maika SivoWinger for Bulldogs is number 2 Jacob Kiraz
-
Centre for Eels is number 3 Will PenisiniCentre for Bulldogs is number 3 Jake Averillo
-
Centre for Eels is number 4 Sean RussellCentre for Bulldogs is number 4 Paul Alamoti
-
Winger for Eels is number 5 Haze DunsterWinger for Bulldogs is number 15 Jayden Okunbor
-
Five-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan BrownFive-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Matt Burton
-
Halfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell MosesHalfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Kyle Flanagan
Forwards
-
Prop for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-GillardProp for Bulldogs is number 8 Max King
-
Hooker for Eels is number 15 Brendan HandsHooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Reed Mahoney
-
Prop for Eels is number 10 Junior PauloProp for Bulldogs is number 10 Tevita Pangai Junior
-
2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Jacob Preston
-
2nd Row for Eels is number 13 Ryan Matterson2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 16 Corey Waddell
-
Lock for Eels is number 14 J'maine HopgoodLock for Bulldogs is number 13 Raymond Faitala-Mariner
Interchange
-
Interchange for Eels is number 12 Bryce CartwrightInterchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Josh Reynolds
-
Interchange for Eels is number 16 Wiremu GreigInterchange for Bulldogs is number 17 Ryan Sutton
-
Interchange for Eels is number 17 Makahesi MakatoaInterchange for Bulldogs is number 20 Jackson Topine
-
Interchange for Eels is number 19 Matt DooreyInterchange for Bulldogs is number 23 Andrew Davey
Reserves
-
Replacement for Eels is number 18 Jake ArthurReplacement for Bulldogs is number 22 Declan Casey
Match Officials
- Referee: Chris Butler
- Touch Judge: Wyatt Raymond
- Touch Judge: Nick Beashel
- Senior Review Official: Kasey Badger
Last updated:
Stat Attack
- The Eels have won five of their past six games against the Bulldogs.
- The Bulldogs have won only two of their past 14 games at CommBank Stadium.
- Eels fullback Clint Gutherson has scored nine tries in 14 games against the Bulldogs.
- Bulldogs centre Jake Averillo has scored four tries in five games against the Eels.
- Eels winger Maika Sivo has scored 38 tries from 40 games at CommBank Stadium.
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.
