Will the Bulldogs beat Parramatta???

Will we beat the Eels??

  • Yes

    Votes: 64 62.7%
  • No

    Votes: 38 37.3%

  • Total voters
    102

bradyk

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1. DWZ > Gutherson*
2. Meaney < Ferguson
3. Reimis < Blake
4. Hopoate > Jennings
5. Okunbor < Sivo
6. Lewis < Brown
7. Wakeham < Moses
8. Tolman > Paulo*
9. JMK < Mahoney
10. Napa > RCG*
11. CHN < Matterson
12. Jackson > Lane
13. Elliott < Brown

14. Holland < Takairangi
15. Toomaga > Alvaro
16. RFM > Evans
17. Britt > Niukore*

DWZ*
Hopoate
Tolman*
Napa*
Jackson
5/13

Toomaga
RFM
Britt*
3/4

8/17

* = too close to call, so i'll go with our player
(also the line ups might be slightly off - I probably should of waited until tomorrow...)

We're going to need DWZ to get one over Gutherson. Gutherson is a better ball player so he's going to create more opportunities than DWZ. DWZ is a great ball runner tho and possibly runs the ball back with more venom than anyone else in the NRL. DWZ will need to inspire our forwards.

We actually match up decently in the forwards. We're going to need our starting and bench props to really step up this game. This is the area where we're the most competitive (out of the forwards, backs and spine). Paulo will create more opportunities than Tolman (obviously) but in other areas Tolman is better imo (outside the final third).

The Eels team just screams throwing the ball around so our defence and effort needs to be on point. Sliding and getting our jamming/rush plays correct (otherwise we're going to see those famous overlaps with Okunbor's opposing winger going over untouched). If the Eels get this part of their game wrong and make a few handling errors it can create some opportunities for us.

Our halves and backs are really outmatched. It's most likely going to be a low scoring game again if we're to win (if we play well - effort areas, we won't get thrashed either). I've said it many times before but we're missing a lot of X-Factor/strike players in these positions (especially without Foran). There is just not a lot of creativity.

I think best case scenario, if we're on I think this game can be a 60/40 to the Eels (a lot better than the odds suggest). There is also a world where we get thrashed but I hope that isn't the case (more likely than us winning by a big margin).
 

Grunthos

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I hope we win but remember guys, it's a long season and as long as we don't shoot ourselves in the foot to often and even manage to creep into the 8 it will be a good year.
 

TwinTurbo

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6. Lewis < Brown
Can't argue too much against the overall assessment, but this one has me puzzled, FFS Brown is 19 years old, has played only 15 NRL games and he missed the first 1/3rd of last season with stress fracture in his back. I'd run RFM, Britt and/or CHN at him all game and see how the kid handles getting steamrolled. Maybe getting swept up in the anti Lewis hype. In the game last year Jackson left him staring into space when Hopoate scored. He made no contribution whatsoever that I can recall.

Go Dogs
 
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bradyk

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Can't argue too much against the overall assessment, but this one has me puzzled, FFS Brown is 19 years old, has played only 15 NRL games and he missed the first 1/3rd of last season with stress fracture in his back. I'd run RFM, Britt and/or CHN at him all game and see how the kid handles getting steamrolled. Maybe getting swept up in the anti Lewis hype. In the game last year Jackson left him staring into space when Hopoate scored.

Go Dogs
I'm a Lewis fan. I've backed him since day one. It definitely isn't that. Not including Foran, Lewis is our best half imo. Wakeham can potentially change that this year. That 19 year old is rumoured to be on a 700k contract with multiple clubs trying to lure him away from the Eels last year. I love Lewis but can you show me where this or something similar is happening regarding him?
 

KiwiDog7

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Can't argue too much against the overall assessment, but this one has me puzzled, FFS Brown is 19 years old, has played only 15 NRL games and he missed the first 1/3rd of last season with stress fracture in his back. I'd run RFM, Britt and/or CHN at him all game and see how the kid handles getting steamrolled. Maybe getting swept up in the anti Lewis hype. In the game last year Jackson left him staring into space when Hopoate scored.

Go Dogs
I don’t think BA picks him to just defend
That kid has great attacking ability
 

bradyk

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I don’t think BA picks him to just defend
That kid has great attacking ability
He already plays like he's a lot older than he is. He also showed last year he has a lot of talent but he was 100% taking a back seat to Moses last year. Each year that goes on he'll get more and more involved and people will see why there is a lot of hype surrounding him. All the analysts rate him, especially Joey WAY BEFORE he took the Eels coaching position (this was around the start of last year).
 

mikey

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I’d suggest the focus and effort in the real thing will be a lot higher than a trial which is just a hit out to dust off the cobwebs and where injury avoidance is more a focus. Our stats should be better on Thursday.
Let’s hope so.just need a better start this year then previous years.
 

albatross

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Whoever starts at lock (expect Elliott) needs to put a target on Moses and smash him every time. Lewis should be looking to get at him too. Our defence on both flanks is our biggest concern for Thursday and will probably decide whether we win or not. It's a weakness for us and a strength for them. We didn't crack out wide in the Canberra trial, but they didn't attack there much either - shutting down Moses is the best way to make that happen again. Need to watch Dylan Brown too - he's a very good young player. We also need to slow down their play the balls and it would also be great to get under Nathan Brown's skin again.
 

bradyk

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Whoever starts at lock (expect Elliott) needs to put a target on Moses and smash him every time. Lewis should be looking to get at him too. Our defence on both flanks is our biggest concern for Thursday and will probably decide whether we win or not. It's a weakness for us and a strength for them. We didn't crack out wide in the Canberra trial, but they didn't attack there much either - shutting down Moses is the best way to make that happen again. Need to watch Dylan Brown too - he's a very good young player. We also need to slow down their play the balls and it would also be great to get under Nathan Brown's skin again.
Every team tries to slow down the play the ball (wrestling, "getting stuck", etc) which is why there are usually a lot of penalties. Unless the referee just lets everything go (e.g. like an origin game). A team like us needs to be on point with slowing the play the ball and pushing the rules as much as possible (so don't be surprised if we lose a lot of penalty counts).
 

kungfuman

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Every team tries to slow down the play the ball (wrestling, "getting stuck", etc) which is why there are usually a lot of penalties. Unless the referee just lets everything go (e.g. like an origin game). A team like us needs to be on point with slowing the play the ball and pushing the rules as much as possible (so don't be surprised if we lose a lot of penalty counts).
Every team slows down the play the ball its just us that get noticed, ive watched plenty where we cop penalty after penalty and they let teams like mel, souths and Roosters lay all over us!
 

Chris Harding

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Quote; Parra will be up for a big game, and will be hungry to start the season off with a win, is exactly the same for us! but we aren't as soft as Parra
We thought we'd knock over the Warriors at the start of last season.
 

Chris Harding

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The first 20 mins could decide it. Parra are fast starters at Bankwest and if they get a couple of early tries it will be very difficult to catch them.

We must drag them down into the grind and a big part of that will be containing them early.
It will be the final 20 minutes that determines the size of the win. If we try too hard to catch up the points we bled in the first half, our inexperienced team will run out of energy, and find themselves overrun. If we are fit, we could claw back points, but our efforts over the past few seasons don't promise this.
 

_G-Dog_

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On paper they have the stronger team.. But games aren't won on paper..
 
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