The Bulldogs host the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium and have dealt a huge blow with a host of players being ruled out of the match.
Head Coach Des Hasler spoke with the media on the eve of the match and confirmed four of his players would be unavailable for the all-important clash with the 2015 Grand Finalists.
“We have lost four overnight.,” Hasler said. “Josh Morris failed a fitness test yesterday, Greg Eastwood got ruled out yesterday, Raymond Faitala-Mariner was ruled out overnight, as was Tim Browne. So that’s the immediate concern at the moment.”
Centre Morris was ruled out of State of Origin II with a groin strain and with plenty of football left in the season, the decision to rule Morris out was one of caution.
“It was bad enough for him to miss out on Origin.
“It’s an injury that we need to monitor, especially because it can be ongoing.
“It’s more of a precaution with a fair bit of footy to be played in the season and we don’t want to inflame the situation.”
The Bulldogs have two players backing up from Origin and Hasler did confirm both David Klemmer and Josh Jackson will play.
“I can confirm Josh Jackson and David Klemmer will both play.”
Brett Morris is the player everyone wants to see back on the field and hasn't played since the Bulldogs semi-final loss to the Roosters last year.
The speedster struggled with a knee injury in 2015 and after a setback in the pre-season which lead to more surgery, Hasler confirmed the process to get Morris back had been a delicate one and insisted he wouldn’t rush him back into the side.
“Brett’s going good. It’s been a delicate process and it’s one we don’t want to rush. He hasn’t been named, so it’s unlikely.”
The final line-up will be confirmed an hour before kick-off.
TWO of the NRL's most explosive teams clash when the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs host the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday evening.
The two clubs haved played out some of the competitions most tense games in recent years and this is one is sure to carry on that tradition.
Make sure you're here to see two of the most exciting teams in the NRL!
