After being named in the Bulldogs 80th anniversary team of the decade, Josh Morris will this week come to face to face with one of the best centres in the game.
His opponent Justin Hodges has been a standout for a number of years now and when ever given the opportunity to go one on one with the Bronco, Marrons and Australian centre, it’s a battle Morris enjoys.
“I really look forward to playing guys like him, Jamie Lyon and Will Chambers.
“They’re great players and every time you play those blokes you want to step up,” he added.
Hodges has the points over the identical twin in 2015, with the Maroons defeating the Blues to take the Origin series and the Broncos defeating the Bulldogs earlier in the year in round 18.
It will be a siege mentality for the Bulldogs, come Friday night after two losses in a row, sitting in eighth position on 22 points and a poor record in Brisbane.
They gave away a 22 point lead last week and although they managed to claw their way back into the match with 28 unanswered points, the experience of the Roosters and the bounce of the ball fell their way.
So what needs to change for the ladder leading Broncos?
“We have to work on our start.
“We played some good footy to get ourselves back in the contest and look to build on that.
“The last time we played the Broncos they out grinded us and we have spoken as a group that we need to be better and that we are completing our sets and not giving them cheap possession,” Morris said.
The Bulldogs will be missing Kiwi International Greg Eastwood for the clash with the Broncos after the Lock forward had his Grade 1 – Dangerous Contact upheld by the NRL judiciary, meaning he will be sidelined for one game.
A decision on who replaces Eastwood will be made an hour before kick-off, but Coach Des Hasler did name an extended bench earlier in the week.
BULLDOGS TEAM:
1. Brett Morris
2. Curtis Rona
3. Josh Morris
4. Tim Lafai
5. Sam Perrett
6. Moses Mbye
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. Aiden Tolman
9. Michael Lichaa
10. James Graham (c)
11. Josh Jackson
12. Frank Pritchard
13. Greg Eastwood (SUSPENDED)
Interchange:
14. Sam Kasiano
15. Shaun Lane
16. David Klemmer
17. Tim Browne
19. Lloyd Perrett
20. Corey Thompson
22. Danny Fualalo
