One of the great rivalries in Australian sport, Parramatta and Canterbury square off in a cracking Round 1 clash with the sworn enemies both desperate to start the season with a win.
Best Bet
Canterbury have continued to make wholesale roster changes to their team and will debut an incredible seven players in club colours this week with none of the team sent out being with the club three seasons back.
Parramatta are at the opposite end of the scale with just Manly buys Morgan Harper and Kelma Tuilagi making their club debuts. Maika Sivo is missing through suspension.
The Bulldogs have to be the natural starting point. Round 1 underdogs cover at 68% when getting a start of more than six. The Eels have also failed to cover their last four Round 1 games.
The Eels have a dominant record against Canterbury with a 13-3 record in their last 16 and their last three won by 22 or more but given the state of their team, this number seems far too big.
Jump aboard the plus.
Same Game Multi
Clint Gutherson has 12 tries in 17 games against the Bulldogs including a hat-trick when the teams last met.
Stephen Crichton debuts for the Bulldogs – as skipper, no less – and comes off four straight seasons scoring double digit tries.
Value Bet
Jacob Preston is an underrated tryscorer tor the Bulldogs who will likely be running opposite Bryce Cartwright. Preston scored six tries in his debut season and is an adept line runner in a good matchup.
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