Key Stats: Canterbury Bulldogs vs Canberra Raiders

[Archie]

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Canberra Raiders

Both the Canterbury Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders will be desperate to send out departing captains Andrew Ryan and Alan Tongue on a winning note this afternoon. Join us for live scores from the commencement of the game in the NRL’s final round at 2:05pm.

With nothing on the line but pride, expect plenty of points in a match that pits two of the NRL’s most promising fullbacks against each other.

Ben Barba and Josh Dugan lead the new generation of custodians who will probably dominate the NRL for seasons to come.

In his first full season at the Bulldogs, Barba has become one of the NRL’s most feared attacking players, thanks to his potent mixture of speed and his ability to score miraculous tries.

One only has to look at the try he scored against the Knights last Saturday to see why Barba possesses an instinct to score tries like no other.

While Dugan has had a disappointing season by his high standards, the Raiders flyer did make his NSW Origin debut this season and did not look out of place in rugby league’s toughest arena.

Although the above players will most likely get on the scoresheet this afternoon, do not be surprised if retiring captains Andrew Ryan and Alan Tongue also score four pointers.

If the game is comfortably in their keeping, the Bulldogs will do everything in their power to allow Ryan to cross the white stripe.

The same could be said however for Raiders captain Tongue, who is also desperate to retire a winner after a difficult 2011 season with Canberra.

Tongue will be bitterly disappointed if he goes out a loser again today, given the heartbreaking defeat he suffered last week against the Penrith Panthers in his last home game for the club.

The Raiders have had the better of the Bulldogs in recent seasons, winning their last two matches against them, including this season’s 20-12 victory at Canberra stadium.

That result however has been one of the few bright spots in a horrific year for Canberra. They have surrendered meekly in the majority of their matches this season and could find themselves up against it if the Bulldogs take an early lead.

While the Bulldogs themselves have failed to make the finals, they have been far more competitive in their matches this season, which suggests that Canterbury should rightfully start this match as favourites.

But given that both sides have an obligation to send out their retiring champions on a high, this game could very well go down to the wire.

Key Stats

- The Raiders have lost their past eight Sunday matches. Their last victory was against the Cronulla Sharks in round 1 this season.

- Recent history suggests that this could be a close affair. Four of the past five matches between these sides have been decided by ten points or less.

- Raiders half Josh McCrone is the man the Bulldogs must shut down if they are to win. He leads the Raiders team in line-breaks (12), line-break assists (10), try assists (16) and kick metres (5596).

Source: The Roar