As Origin 2 awaits, Friday Night Footy Kicks Off!

19th June 2009, by Daniel Hillege

The Bulldogs have been flying high this year and the team camaraderie has been seen in their gutsy performances. Not only are the Dogs top-of-the-table but they would be clear at the top if a couple of dubious decisions went in their favour.

Tonight at ANZ stadium the top-of-the-table Bulldogs take on last weeks pink Panthers.

The Bulldogs have been flying high this year and the team camaraderie has been seen in their gutsy performances. Not only are the Dogs top-of-the-table but they would be clear at the top if a couple of dubious decisions went in their favour. The Dogs had what was meant to be a tough game last week and at times were tested by the class of the Broncos, however the Bulldogs did what they’ve done all year and fought for their victory. The Dogs deserved the 22 point win over the Broncos and will be looking for that form going into this match-up.

The Bulldogs have also been lucky or un-lucky with Origin selection. Ben Hannant is the only player to miss out on tonight’s clash through selection. The other question mark surrounds the super in-form Michael Ennis who, if Robbie Farah is deemed injured is the most likely to take the Hooker role in the New South Wales line-up for Origin 2. This will be decided later today (Friday 19/6/2009).

On the other hand the Panthers have been hit hard by both Origin selection and Injury; with major loss being the big ‘go forward man’ Petero Civoniceva to the Maroons. Lachlan Coote was ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder tear. In-form speedster Michael Jennings will miss the game through injury (would have missed the game through Origin) and Luke Lewis will be out with a fractured toe.

This leaves the Panthers behind the 8-ball going into tonight’s battle, although history is on their side. In Round two the Bulldogs won a great contest 28 – 26 against the Panthers however lost in the previous four meetings by a total of 102 points.

The Bulldogs will be looking for big a win tonight giving them 2 points with the bye next round, while Penrith are desperately trying to stay in touch with the top-eight.

Will the Dogs continue their glorious winning form or will the Panthers provide an upset?

Origin 2 is just around the corner (Wednesday 24th) and once again the NSW selectors have changed their line-up with hope of saving the series.

Queensland are favourites for the series and rightly so. In game 1 they didn’t play the best footy and still came away with a 28 -18 point win. There was controversy surrounding the match but Queensland played a more dominant game and was hungry right until the final whistle.

Centrebet media chief Neil Evans said NSW was “right in the hunt” opening as a $2.20 outsider, and he expected the Blues to shorten over the next week!

“Finally, the Blues have a near-perfect blend of youth and experience, and this is one of the best back-rows NSW has had since the Phil Gould-coached days of the early 90’s,” he said. “Two super-confident hard-running second-rowers (O’Donnell and Creagh), with a real hard-head (Gallen) at the back of the scrum. If Brent Kite and fellow new prop Michael Weyman can square the ledger up front, NSW has a ‘live’ hope of equalling the series at 1-1!”

Will the NSW fresh faces have the confidence to come back firing and tie up the series, or will Queensland's experienced line-up cancel out the chance of a decider?

Game 2, ANZ Stadium, 24th June should be another bone jarring instalment.

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last update : 19th June 2009 13:10