Match Preview: NRL Round 24

Wests Tigers will look to make it back-to-back wins over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs when they meet at ANZ Stadium on Thursday night for their Round 24 clash.

It was only five weeks ago that the two sides met at ANZ Stadium for a Round 19 match, with Wests Tigers proving too strong for the visitors on the day as they ran out comfortable 46-18 winners. Young gun Mitchell Moses had a hand in six tries for the hosts, while Keith Lulia equaled the Club record with four tries of his own.

Since then, though, Mick Potter's men have suffered four tough losses in a row, and will be desperate to bounce back this week against the Bulldogs.

The hosts for this week, the Bulldogs are still in the contention for finals football after a thrilling 18-16 victory over the Parramatta Eels in Round 23, and will be keen to exact their revenge for their disappointing defeat to Wests Tigers in Round 19.

It’s shaping as a very important match for both teams — albeit for different reasons — so will walk from ANZ Stadium with the two competition points on offer?

Read on for a full preview of the match including all the key details, live stream and TV information, team news, statistical analysis and more.

Match Details

Date — Thursday, August 21

Time — 7:45pm (Gates open at 5:20pm)

Venue — ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park

TV, Radio and Live Stream Details

TV — Channel 9 (check local guides)

Radio — Triple M (check local guides)

Live Stream —NRL Digital pass (subscription required)

Twitter — Click here to follow Wests Tigers on Twitter for live scores and commentary

Confirmed Squads

Bodene Thompson returns from suspension to take the place of Dene Halatau in the second row, with young guns Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks named in the halves. Last week's debutant Jy Hitchcox has retained his spot on the wing, with Jack Buchanan included on a four-man bench in the place of James Gavet. For the Bulldogs, Lloyd Perrett is out with injury, with Pat O’Hanlon and Harlan Alaalatoa added to an extended bench. Representative five-eighth Josh Reynolds remains sidelined due to suspension.

Last Five Matches

Wests Tigers

R19 — Wests Tigers 46 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18

R20 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 28 def. Wests Tigers 12

R21 — Melbourne Storm 28 def. Wests Tigers 6

R22 — North Queensland Cowboys 64 def. Wests Tigers 6

R23 — Sydney Roosters 48 def. Wests Tigers 4

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

R19 — Wests Tigers 46 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18

R20 — North Queensland Cowboys 20 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12

R21 — Penrith Panthers 22 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16

R22 — Brisbane Broncos 41 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 10

R23 — Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 def. Parramatta Eels 16

Match History: Played 27, Won 9, Lost 16, Drawn 2

Last Time They Met

Round 19, 2014: Wests Tigers 46 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18

After a flurry of tries in the opening 25 minutes saw the Bulldogs head into the break with a slender 18-16 lead, Wests Tigers stormed out in the second half to pile on 30 unanswered points and walk away with the win. Keith Lulia bagged a double in either half — giving him four tries for the day — while James Gavet, Curtis Sironen, Aaron Woods and Luke Brooks all crossed the line for the hosts in the second half. Mitchell Moses was named man-of-the-match after he had a hand in six tries on the day.

Number to Know — 23

When Wests Tigers piled on 46 points against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, they did it on the back of their possession and territorial advantage. One key factor in making that happen was the offloading from their forwards to keep the ball alive, with Wests Tigers chalking up 23 offloads on the day. In their past three defeats, the Club haven’t been able to offload the ball with the same frequency — recording just 12 offloads against the Storm, nine against the Cowboys and four against the Roosters. If Wests Tigers are going to find their attacking potency again, look for their forwards to provide the catalyst with their ability to offload the ball and create second-phase play.

Coach's Comment

“We’ve got to control possession this week. Again, we’re up against a big, strong forward pack with plenty of skill so we need to match them with aggression and match them with line speed. I think if we get enough ball, Brooks and Mitch Moses along with our forwards can give them a big shake this week…” (NRL Head Coach, Mick Potter)

Individual Stats Leaders

Key Player Stats

• Michael Ennis ranks fifth in the NRL for total tackles (784)
• James Graham ranks second in the NRL for total hit-ups (362)
• Robbie Farah ranks second in the NRL for dummy-half runs (106)
• Luke Brooks ranks first in the NRL for missed tackles (92)

Team Stats