'Very dangerous': All you need to know before Warriors v Bulldogs

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Author: Ben Francis,
Publish Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2026, 8:58am

Warriors v Canterbury Bulldogs, NRL round 21, 7.30pm, Saturday, July 18, at Accor Stadium, Sydney.

The Warriors will seek to cement their top-two NRL spot when they chase a third-straight win against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Sydney on Saturday night.

After a mid-season slip-up, the Warriors have bounced back with victories over the Tigers and Dragons, while results elsewhere have allowed the top five to open up a gap on the chasing pack.

The Warriors sit on 12 wins and five defeats with seven matches remaining and, based on results from previous seasons, one more victory should be enough to secure finals football in back-to-back years for the first time under Andrew Webster.

The Bulldogs will present a different challenge as they mount a late-season push for the finals.

Webster said they can’t afford to take the Bulldogs lightly.

“They’re starting to get players back,” Webster said.

“I don’t know what the trigger is and the reason why they’re starting to find form, but on paper and the way they’ve been playing lately, they’re certainly very dangerous.”

Warriors v Bulldogs line-ups

The Warriors have named an unchanged side from the one that beat the Dragons last weekend. No late changes are expected.

Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Lleiataua, 4. Adam Pompey, 5. Alofiana Khaln-Pereira, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Te Maire Martin, 8. James Fisher-Harris, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitch Barnett, 11. Kurt Capewell, 12. Jacob Laban, 13. Erin Clark

Interchange (from): 14. Sam Healey, 15. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 16. Demitric Vaimauga, 17, Leka Halasima, 18. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 20. Marata Niukore, 21. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 22. Luke Metcalf, 23. Rocco Berry

For the Bulldogs, captain Stephen Crichton returns after being rested last week following an injury scare in their loss to the Raiders this month. Viliame Kikau returns to the starting side after coming back from injury via the bench last week, which means former Warrior Josh Curran moves to the interchange.

Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey, 2. Jacob Kiraz, 3. Matt Burton, 4. Enari Tuala, 5. Jethro Rinakama, 6. Stephen Crichton, 7. Lachlan Galvin, 8. Max King, 9. Bailey Hayward, 10. Leo Thompson, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Jacob Preston, 13. Jaeman Salmon.

Interchange (from): 14. Sean O’Sullivan, 15. Josh Curran, 16. Harry Hayes, 17. Lipoi Hopoi, 19. Jed Reardon, 20. Cordon Chan Kum Tong, 21. Alekolasimi Jones, 22. Jack Underhill, 23. Bronson Xerri.

Taine Tuaupiki (right) of the Warriors denies Bronson Xerri of the Bulldogs a try when the two teams last met. Photo / Photosport

Where will the match be won?

Don’t be surprised if the game unfolds in similar fashion to the Warriors’ win over the Dragons last week, with another gritty battle through the middle likely.

Since Cameron Ciraldo took over at the Bulldogs, they have built their identity around defence. While that area has been below par for much of the season, they have recently rediscovered their edge, conceding 16 points or fewer in four of their past five games.

The concern for the Bulldogs, though, is their attack, which ranks second-worst in the NRL.

The Warriors, by contrast, boast the competition’s second-best attack and second-best defence.

Three converted tries may be enough for the Warriors to get over the line, but they will need to be more clinical than they were in last week’s win over the Dragons.

Webster is anticipating another physical, low-scoring contest.

“They’ve always been a hard-working team,” Webster said.

“Their forwards want to put you under pressure, they’ve got great line speed, and they want to send you the other way, they want to drive you back, very good at that.

“The edges get lots of line speed, so they’re definitely a hard-working side. We’ve got to make sure that we put them under pressure as well because I know they’re going to put us under pressure at some time.”

Warriors v Bulldogs history and recent matches

The Warriors and Bulldogs have squared off 46 times, with the Bulldogs holding a 24-20 advantage and there have been two draws.

At Accor Stadium, the Bulldogs hold a 7-4 record over the Warriors and have won the last two at the venue.

Webster and Ciraldo were assistants at the Panthers under Ivan Cleary and since becoming head coaches, Ciraldo holds a 3-2 win record.

In their last meeting, the Bulldogs claimed a 32-14 win.

Clinton Toopi scores the game-levelling try against the Bulldogs in 2001. Photo / Photosport

Three memorable matches

The two sides have played out many intriguing battles over the years – here are three that spring to mind.

Warriors 24-24 Bulldogs, April 7, 2001

Down by 16 points with six minutes remaining in Wellington, the Warriors scored three stunning tries through Henry Fa’afili, Francis Meli and Clinton Toopi to level the match.

Stacey Jones had a relatively easy kick to win the game, but it went wide and the match ended in a draw.

Warriors 22-14 Bulldogs, August 10, 2002

The Warriors continued their charge into the NRL’s top four by beating the high-flying Bulldogs, who went into the match on a 17-game winning streak after opening the season with two defeats and a draw.

The result became even more significant the following week, when the Warriors beat the second-placed Broncos and the Bulldogs were stripped of 37 points and fined A$500,000 after admitting major breaches of the sport’s A$3.2 million salary cap.

That sequence lifted the Warriors to the top of the standings and they went on to claim their only minor premiership before reaching the grand final.

Bulldogs 13-12 Warriors, July 6, 2024

This is a loss that still stings Warriors fans considering the circumstances of the defeat.

In rare scenes, the Warriors lost all their outside backs – Charnze Nicoll-Kokstad, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Marcelo Montoya – to injury, and Leka Halasima came off the bench to make his NRL debut.

There was a controversial moment late in the match where Te Maire Martin was tackled late and high by Jaeman Salmon but no penalty was awarded and Matt Burton went on to kick a 67th-minute field goal to secure victory.

Form guide (past five matches)

After surviving a mid-season slump where they lost three games – all by two points – the Warriors have managed to secure back-to-back wins over the Tigers and Dragons, two teams outside the top eight.

Despite beating the Dragons, the Warriors were clunky and were the beneficiaries of some favourable calls, so they can’t afford to get complacent. On the other hand, these are the games they must win to prove why they are genuine contenders.

For the Bulldogs, they have struggled to reach the heights of last year when they finished third and had the NRL’s best defence.

However, they are making a late push for the finals after winning four of their last five and coming off their biggest win of the season – a 32-0 triumph over the capitulating Tigers, a result you can’t read much into.