Jacob Kiraz returned from a knee injury and went straight into the Bulldogs’ side at fullback for Friday night’s meeting with the Storm at Accor Stadium. The match kicked off at 8.00pm AEST, with Canterbury also welcoming back Marcelo Montoya as they shuffled their backline again.
The Bulldogs were forced into changes before the round, with Connor Tracey ruled out by a hamstring injury and Jonathan Sua dropping out of the team. Kurt Mann was named to start at hooker, pushing Bailey Hayward back to the bench, while Jethro Rinakama was moved onto the wing in a selection shake-up that put Kiraz at the back.
For Canterbury, Kiraz’s return matters because it gives them a proven option after a spell on the sideline, and it comes against a Melbourne side stripped of some of its biggest names. The Storm were without Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Trent Loiero on Origin duty, leaving Craig Bellamy to lean on a much less experienced group for the clash in Sydney.
Bellamy said those absences would hand other players a chance to show what the NRL is about. He pointed to Keagan Russell-Smith, named at five-eighth in only his second NRL appearance, Trent Toelau at hooker and Gabriel Satrick, who was set for his first-grade debut off the bench, as examples of the opportunity in front of them. Bellamy said the key for the young players was not to overcomplicate things and to play to their strengths.
The team news on Friday also reflected how quickly injury and suspension have churned through NRL lineups. The Dragons had Jaydn Su’A cut from their team list after he had only just returned from suspension, with a calf injury ruling him out before their match, a reminder of how little continuity clubs get at this point of the season.
For Canterbury, the return of Kiraz and Montoya gave them some stability, even as the move to fullback showed they are still willing to adjust on the run. For Melbourne, the absences left Bellamy to hand out chances to players with little top-grade experience, and Friday night at Accor Stadium became as much about who could cope with the step up as about the result itself.
