Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has made the startling admission that the club struggled to name a 22-man squad for Magic Round.
Canterbury released another injury-hit 22-man squad when the original team lists for Magic Round were lodged on Tuesday afternoon.
Winger Jacob Kiraz, and front-rowers Max King and Franklin Pele, are all in line to return from injury setbacks in the Bulldogs’ clash with the Raiders tonight.
But props Luke Thompson, Ryan Sutton and Chris Patolo, playmaker Bailey Biondi-Odo, centre Braidon Burns, winger Josh Addo-Carr and back-rower Viliame Kikau are sidelined with injury.
“What we’ve named … It was hard to get 22 players to name,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“Braidon Burns is now out for five to eight weeks (with a knee injury).
“What a mighty game he played on the weekend. He was terrific.
“He’s had some injuries, he’s never really got a fair crack at it, but he played really well on the weekend.”
Not only did Burns play 80 minutes in Sunday’s game against the Dragons despite tearing the superficial fibres of his MCL, the former Rabbitoh churned out 163 run metres, including 60 post-contact, as well as three linebreak assists and six tackle busts.
He also nearly pulled off an incredible chase of Dragons flyer Mathew Feagai after a Zac Lomax intercept, clearly hobbled as he did so.
The Bulldogs are aiming to string together consecutive wins after edging the Dragons 18-16 in Wollongong.
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