NRL Round 8 Preview and Prediction - Wests Tigers v Canterbury Bulldogs @ ANZ Stadium

Wests Tigers v Canterbury Bulldogs @ ANZ Stadium
 
Preview - The Wests Tigers take on the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Sunday with the background of their two best players in Aaron Woods and James Tedesco leaving the Club at season’s end. It has been the season from hell for Tigers’ fans, and the loss of two local juniors and two State of Origin players is another slap in a face for a Club that’s the laughing stock of the NRL right now. Their form, under new Coach Ivan Cleary, hasn't been too bad with a victory over the Cowboys and a narrow loss last week against the Eels when they gave up a 12-point lead with 20 minutes to play. The Bulldogs have quietly strung together 3 impressive wins against the Broncos, Knights and Rabbitohs after that awful loss to Manly in Round 4. Central to those wins has been their defensive resolve, with the side giving up just 28 points combined in their last 3 games.
 
History - The Bulldogs have really had the wood over the Tigers over the past 6 years, winning 8 of the 10 clashes between the sides. Last year they swept the Tigers, winning both games comfortably, although the Tigers were missing James Tedesco for both of these games. To make things worse for the Tigers, Ivan Cleary has a poor record against Des Hasler coached sides, having won just 5 from 18 overall. 
 
Wests Tigers’ Scouting Report - The Tigers have lost Jamal Idris who is out with a hamstring injury. Replacing him is Michael Chee Kam who I think has been one of their better players this season, filling in the back row and the centres. Matt McIlwrick continues to impress at hooker whilst Luke Brooks has been named on an extended bench, but is unlikely to return in this game. 
 
Canterbury Bulldogs’ Scouting Report - The Bulldogs welcome back their enforcer David Klemmer after he missed the clash with the Rabbitohs. This pushes Adam Elliott back to the bench. Matt Frawley has once again been named on an extended bench, however you would think after 3 straight victories that surely he will spend a lot of time at halfback again this game. Josh Reynolds’ form has really spiked in the past couple of games as he looks to prove to the Bulldogs that he remains part of the future with the Club rumoured to have signed Kieran Foran. 
 
Verdict - Bulldogs by 10+ 
 
If the Tigers had no distractions and players that wanted to be there, I would fancy them to beat the Bulldogs today. They have the sort of attack that may worry them, and trouble them a bit with ball movement against some of their slower forwards. However, the Tigers’ heads must be all over the place at the moment, and with the Bulldogs having won 3 straight, you couldn't possibly tip a Tigers win with any confidence. However I’ll be honest, I'm not exactly sure what to expect from the Tigers. If they go out with nothing to lose they could trouble the Dogs, or they could be blown away if they are lacking motivation and resolve. Put simply, the Dogs are more settled and on a better run of form, so I will stick with them to win this game by a couple of tries.