Round 12 of the NRL season opens at Accor Stadium tonight with the Bulldogs hosting the Melbourne Storm at 8pm AEST. The Storm's pre-Origin team is bare. Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Xavier Coates, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Harry Grant are all in Origin camps. Stefano Utoikamanu starts up front, Trent Toelau wears the No.9 for Harry Grant, and Keagan Russell-Smith starts in the halves alongside the Hughes replacement. The Bulldogs lose captain Stephen Crichton to NSW Origin duty but welcome Jacob Kiraz back to the wing from the ankle injury that ruled him out at Magic Round. The Bulldogs come into the round chasing back-to-back wins.
Bulldogs Side Settled, Storm Side Reshuffled
Canterbury have Kiraz at 2 and Bronson Xerri at 3, with Jonathan Su'A and Enari Tuala in the centres. Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin are the halves. Max King starts at prop with Leo Thompson, Bailey Hayward hooks, and Jacob Preston, Sitili Tupouniua and Jaeman Salmon make up the back row. Kurt Mann, Harry Hayes, Jack Underhill and Alekolasimi Jones complete the bench. The bench depth is what makes the Bulldogs price tonight, with the Storm running a lighter rotation through the second hour. Melbourne lose so much that the Storm forwards Will Warbrick, Jack Howarth and Moses Leo are in unfamiliar combinations. Sualauvi Faalogo gets the fullback duties with Coates out. Josh King and Shawn Blore are the bench mainstays.
Round 12 Bye Round, Five Other Games
Round 12 is the first major bye round of the year. Penrith, Roosters, Sharks and Wests Tigers all have a week off, so only six games run. Friday: Raiders v Dolphins at GIO Stadium 7:50pm, Bulldogs v Storm at Accor 8pm. Saturday: Dragons v Warriors at Jubilee 5:30pm, Manly v Titans at 4 Pines 3pm. Sunday: Cowboys v Rabbitohs at Queensland Country Bank Stadium 4:05pm, and the Origin Week 1 build-up across the bye sides. The Dragons-Warriors fixture is the spoon-watch with the 16th-placed Dragons hosting the 2nd-placed Warriors. Manly without Haumole Olakau'atu and the suspended Lehi Hopoate are still favoured against the Titans.
Where the Markets Land
Bulldogs open at $1.77 head-to-head with the line at -1.5 across our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and Picklebet, the Storm at $2.05 with +1.5 at $1.95. The line is the line punters will be looking at because the Storm losing five Origin starters does not always translate cleanly through the spread when the Bulldogs have their own depth questions. Game total trades around 38.5, low for a Storm fixture. Kiraz anytime tryscorer has been the prop that has come in fastest since his return was confirmed at training Tuesday. Burton anytime is the steadier. The match-day call to watch is Faalogo at fullback. The Storm replacement halves carry the kicking game on the night. Round 11 wrap and Round 12 full fixture via ABC Sport.