Match Preview: NSW Cup Round 19

Wests Tigers’ NSW Cup team will be looking to consolidate on a last start victory over the North Sydney Bears when they take on the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Leichhardt Oval this Saturday afternoon in their important Round 19 match.

Having lost their previous two games heading in to their Round 18 clash against the Bears, Wests Tigers fought back from a half-time deficit with a strong attacking performance to emerge with the two points — a gritty performance from a team that lost halfback Michael Stevens just 24 hours before kickoff. They’ll be boosted by the return of Stevens along with fullback Kurtis Rowe this Saturday when they take on the Bulldogs, whose recent results perhaps haven’t indicated how strong and dangerous their attack can be at times.

It’s an important match for Wests Tigers as they look to consolidate a top four spot, and an important match also for the Bulldogs in their bid for a top-eight finish.

Read on for a full preview including all the key details, team news, statistics and more.

Match Details

Date — Saturday, July 19, 2014

Time — 1:45pm AEST

Venue — Leichhardt Oval (Mary Street, Leichhardt)

Radio — Live coverage via Steele Sports (listen via www.steelesports.com.au)

Be there on Sunday, July 20 when we take on the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium! There's great pre-sale ticket prices available, so get in quick!

Confirmed Squads

Wests Tigers

1. Kurtis Rowe 2. John Sila 3. Asipeli Fine 4. Jy Hitchcox 5. Setefano Taukafa 6. Jack Madden 7. Michael Stevens 8. Jack Buchanan 9. Joel Luani 10. Nathan Brown 11. Brenden Santi 12. Jarred Farlow 13. Kyle Lovett (Interchange: 14. Michael Bullock 15. Sitaleki Akauola 16. Sam Hollis 17. Inno Inosesio 18. Corey Brown 19. Andrew Vela)

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

1. Jaline Graham 2. Tyrone Phillips 3. Ed Murphy 4. Levi Dodd 5. Kayne Brennan 6. Patrick Templeman 7. Lindon McGrady 8. Danny Fualalo 9. Damien Cook 10. Makahesi Makatoa 11. Lachlan Burr 12. David Minute 13. Harlan Alaalatoa (Interchange: 14. Nathan Massey 15. Chris Binge 16. Sione Tovo 17. Brad Clark)

Last Five Matches

Wests Tigers

R13 — Wests Tigers 34 def. Newcastle Knights 12

R15 — Wests Tigers 32 def. Newtown Jets 16

R16 — Mounties RLFC 30 def. Wests Tigers 26

R17 — Penrith Panthers 40 def. Wests Tigers 20

R18 — Wests Tigers 42 def. North Sydney Bears 24

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

R14 — Wentworthville Magpies 22 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 20

R15 — Newcastle Knights 38 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12

R16 — Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 37 def. Cronulla Sharks 24

R17 — Mounties RLFC 42 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12

R18 — Illawarra Cutters 24 drew Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24

Coach’s Comment

“We’ve just got to defend well this week if we want to get the points. We need to start well defensively. I’m confident that we can score points from any time and anywhere; we just need to work on those little things in defence. A few times last week, I also thought our back end to sets needed addressing. That’s what training is for, so we’ll address that this week and look for improvement there…” (Paul Fletcher, NSW Cup Coach)

Key Numbers to Know

• 54 — Number of tackle breaks made by Setefano Taukafa this year.
• 234 — Number of metres Bulldogs centre Levi Dodd ran for last week.
• 3 — Number of players the Bulldogs have in the top 10 for hit-ups this year.

Team Stats