Eels v Bulldogs: Moses returns
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.
Match: Eels v Bulldogs
Round 23 -
home Team
Eels
away Team
Bulldogs
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton GuthersonFullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Jake Averillo
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Winger for Eels is number 2 Maika SivoWinger for Bulldogs is number 2 Jacob Kiraz
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Centre for Eels is number 3 Will PenisiniCentre for Bulldogs is number 3 Aaron Schoupp
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Centre for Eels is number 4 Tom OpacicCentre for Bulldogs is number 4 Braidon Burns
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Winger for Eels is number 5 Waqa BlakeWinger for Bulldogs is number 5 Josh Addo-Carr
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Five-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan BrownFive-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Matt Burton
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Halfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell MosesHalfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Kyle Flanagan
Forwards
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Prop for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-GillardProp for Bulldogs is number 8 Max King
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Hooker for Eels is number 9 Reed MahoneyHooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Jeremy Marshall-King
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Prop for Eels is number 10 Junior PauloProp for Bulldogs is number 10 Paul Vaughan
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2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner
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2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 23 Tevita Pangai Junior
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Lock for Eels is number 17 Marata NiukoreLock for Bulldogs is number 13 Josh Jackson
Interchange
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Interchange for Eels is number 13 Ryan MattersonInterchange for Bulldogs is number 11 Harrison Edwards
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Interchange for Eels is number 14 Ofahiki OgdenInterchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Zach Dockar-Clay
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Interchange for Eels is number 15 Bryce CartwrightInterchange for Bulldogs is number 15 Joe Stimson
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Interchange for Eels is number 16 Oregon KaufusiInterchange for Bulldogs is number 22 Luke Thompson
Reserves
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Replacement for Eels is number 20 Jake ArthurReplacement 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.
Match: Eels v Bulldogs
Round 23 -
home Team
Eels
5th Position
away Team
Bulldogs
12th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
