Canterbury will welcome Jacob Kiraz back from a knee injury when the Bulldogs face Melbourne Storm at Accor Stadium at 8.00pm AEST on Friday night, while Connor Tracey has been ruled out late with a hamstring injury. Kiraz is set to line up at fullback, with Jethro Rinakama added to the starting side on the wing after the Bulldogs were forced into a reshuffle.
The Storm arrive short of heavy firepower, and coach Craig Bellamy said they will miss half of their all-star spine against the Bulldogs. Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Trent Loiero are away on Origin duty, leaving Melbourne to lean on a younger lineup that includes Keagan Russell-Smith at five-eighth for just his second NRL appearance. Trent Toelau was picked at hooker, while Gabriel Satrick is set to make his first grade debut off the bench.
Bellamy said the match offers a chance for the newcomers to learn on the job and make their mark. “We’ll miss those players, but these guys get an opportunity to get to see what the NRL is all about,” he said. He added: “We’ve got ‘Gabe’ making his debut this weekend, Keegan has played one game two years ago, and Trent has played a couple of games.”
He said the challenge for the younger players is simple: keep their game basic and play to what they do best. “It’s great experience for them, and the biggest thing for them is not to complicate it and to play to their strengths because they know what they’re good at,” Bellamy said.
The Bulldogs’ own changes underline how quickly a team sheet can shift in the final hours before kick-off. Kiraz’s return is timely, but it comes after Tracey was scratched late, and the reshuffle adds another layer to a meeting that already carries extra weight for Melbourne because of the Origin absences.
There is also a fresh edge to the night on the Bulldogs side. Jaydn Su’A was ruled out on Friday after tearing his calf, only days after returning from suspension, and the injury is expected to keep him sidelined for a significant period once scan results are known. Hayden Buchanan has come into the centres for the Dragons in the same round of team changes, a reminder of how quickly injuries can redraw the landscape across the competition.
For Canterbury, the return of Kiraz and the inclusion of Rinakama give the side a lift at a time when stability has been hard to find. For Melbourne, the trip to Accor Stadium is less about the names missing than the players who now have to fill the gap. Friday night will show whether those replacements can turn a depleted lineup into a statement, or whether the absence of Munster, Grant and Loiero proves too much to cover.
