Canterbury Bulldogs v Gold Coast Titans: NRL Sunday preview

Gold Coast Titans finally get their NRL campaign underway on Sunday when they head to Belmore to face a Canterbury Bulldogs side who won their opening fixture 28-20 at St George Illawarra Dragons.

Titans head coach Des Hasler is able to welcome back Tino Fa'asuamaleaui for the first time since he suffered a serious knee injury in a 32-0 defeat the Bulldogs in Round 3 of last season.

Meanwhile, having edged home against the Dragons, the hosts are boosted by the return of Josh Curran after a one-match suspension, although he has to make do with a place on the bench.

Canterbury Bulldogs v Gold Coast Titans betting preview

Winning start boosts Bulldogs

Canterbury head coach Cameron Ciraldo will no doubt have been delighted to see his side start the new campaign with a victory at the Dragons, with the Bulldogs having ended the 2024 regular season with back-to-back defeats.

The Dragons subsequently went on to lose by a single point at home to South Sydney Rabbitohs, so are clearly not one of the stronger teams in the competition, but still, a win is a win.

And the Bulldogs do have a strong platform to build on, having made finals last season before being edged out 24-22 in their Eliminator against Manly Sea Eagles.

Ciraldo will have to plan without front-rower Samuel Hughes for the next few weeks after he was forced to have surgery on an ankle injury, but Viliame Kikau has been named in the starting XIII despite still managing a back problem which may eventually necessitate going under the knife.

However, the Dogs appear to have a major new weapon at their disposal, with forward Sitili Tupouniua scoring two tries in six minutes after coming off the bench against the Dragons.

The 27-year-old Tonga international was released by the Sydney Roosters after serious knee and back injuries halted his progress, but he looked to be at full power as he crossed twice to ease the Bulldogs clear of the Dragons early in the second half.

He is 41.00 to score 2+ tries against the Titans, but just 4.50 to score a try at anytime.

Titans expected to be stronger

The Titans have had to wait a little longer than expected to take to the field in the new season and have been forced to relocate to Sydney due to flooding on the Gold Coast to prepare for this clash.

And Hasler and his players are well aware that they need to try and show a major improvement on last season, when they finished down in 14th place on the ladder and lost their last five matches.

He has placed his faith in AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell as his starting halfbacks, with the pair having excelled in a pre-season outing against the Dolphins.

Hasler also has added options in the pack, with skipper Fa'asuamaleaui finally ready to return to the field after almost exactly a year away, while he will be joined in a powerful front row by new signing Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

RCG is fit to feature after overcoming shoulder problems, having opted to leave Parramatta Eels and sign a three-year deal with the Titans, who are 3.75 to earn a top-eight finish this season and secure a Finals spot.

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Canterbury Bulldogs v Gold Coast Titans odds

Canterbury Bulldogs - 1.42
Gold Coast Titans - 2.90

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.