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The heat will be turned up further on the “paddling” Bulldogs over the next week if a dire prediction made by Andrew Johns comes true.
Cameron Ciraldo’s men have been comprehensively beaten by the Wests Tigers and then the Roosters in two of their last three games, pouring fuel on the fire for critics who claim Canterbury have put their premiership ambitions on tilt for the sake of one player after going all-in on Lachlan Galvin following his arrival at the end of May.
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To that point the Bulldogs were flying at the top of the ladder with a settled team that included Toby Sexton in the No.7 jersey.
Sexton has since been banished to reserve grade, with Galvin getting the keys to the team in the No.7 jersey with mixed results, the talented 20-year-old showing flashes of brilliance but unable to consistently provide the ballast required from a halfback on a contending team.
Lachlan Galvin looks dejected during the Bulldogs’ round 24 loss to the Roosters. Getty
The Galvin v Sexton narrative has become a long running distraction for the Bulldogs and with matches against the Storm then the Panthers and Sharks to finish the season, the noise will only get louder unless performances and results turn around.
The Bulldogs sit third but are still an outside chance of a disastrous drop below a top four finish if results in the next three weeks go against them.
Speaking to Brad Fittler for Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth’s Tips, Johns made it clear that he’s concerned about their form.
“Dogs got beat by 14 points by the Tigers and last week got beat by 20 points by the Roosters. They’re paddling.”
Johns is tipping an “easy”, “big” win for the Storm on Friday night, with Craig Bellamy’s men potentially welcoming back big guns Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who have both been named on the extended bench.
On Tuesday, the Storm named Jonah Pezet at No.6, Tyran Wishart at No.7 and Cameron Munster at No.1 but if Papenhuyzen is declared fit to return he will likely move to fullback, with Munster back to his customary five-eighth role, squeezing either Pezet or Wishart out of the starting side.
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Pezet plays more like a traditional halfback than Mr. Fix It Wishart, leading a baffled Fittler to ask why they’d been flipped around on the official team list.
“Interesting, why would they name Pezet at 6 and Wishart at 7?,” Fittler posed.
“Do you ever think the number made a difference?”
A bemused Johns replied simply, “No.”
A win to the Storm could potentially put them at the top of the ladder at the end of the round, putting them in pole position for yet another Bellamy-led minor premiership.
Scroll below for the current leaderboard and round 25 tips by all Nine’s expert tipsters!
Nine’s NRL tipping leaderboard. Nine
Andrew Johns: Dragons, Raiders, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
Brad Fittler: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Cowboys
Darren Lockyer: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Sea Eagles, Titans, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
Paul Gallen: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
Mat Thompson: Rabbitohs, Raiders, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
Peter Psaltis: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
David Middleton: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers
The Mole: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Dolphins, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Cowboys
Ben Glover: Rabbitohs, Panthers, Storm, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Roosters, Broncos, Tigers