Recapture the magic: King's Birthday memories fuelling Bulldogs' dream
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The Bulldogs are desperate to recapture the magic of last year's King's Birthday win as they look to kickstart their season on Monday afternoon.
Nearly 60,000 fans crammed into Accor Stadium to watch Canterbury outlast the Eels 30-12 on a memorable afternoon for the blue and white army.
Star playmaker Lachlan Galvin scored a try in his club debut, with the Bulldogs leading the competition and seemingly destined for glory.
A Prince emerges on the King's birthday
It's been a rocky 12 months since. Canterbury suffered a straight-sets exit from the finals and currently sit 14th on the ladder, but Viliame Kikau is confident Monday's clash is the perfect opportunity to get their campaign back on track.
"It's a massive game every year," the injured forward said. "We've created a rivalry over the last few years with Parra so hopefully our fans turn up and support the boys and the boys put in a big performance.
"There's been some massive challenges lately, we've faced some adversity. One of them is injuries, we've been copping that a fair bit. A couple of starters are sitting on the sideline at the moment.
"Everyone has that next man up mentality. The boys are training hard behind the scenes, it's the work everyone doesn't see but unfortunately you're judged by the scoreboard at the end of the day.
"We're working hard again this week to correct the wrongs from last week and hopefully we can get the result."
Match: Bulldogs v Eels
Round 14 -
home Team
Bulldogs
14th Position
away Team
Eels
15th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
More than 40,000 fans are expected to descend on Accor Stadium on Monday for the annual King's Birthday clash between Canterbury and Parramatta.
The two sides will play for the i4Give Cup, in honour of Sienna, Veronique, Angelina and Antony - the children of the Abdallah and Sakr families, who tragically died after a drunk and drug-affected driver struck them in 2020.
The Eels prevailed when the teams played earlier this year, Ronald Volkman starring in a 38-20 victory.
Eels v Bulldogs – Round 7, 2026
While Parramatta are in the midst of a Jason Ryles rebuild, the Bulldogs were expected to contend for the title this season.
Instead, the squad has struggled to adapt to the modern pace of rugby league and have won just four from 12. Injuries have also hurt Canterbury. Captain Stephen Crichton, fullback Connor Tracey, winger Jacob Kiraz, back-rower Jacob Preston and Kikau are among the starters to have spent time in the casualty ward this season.
Despite the challenges, they are only six points outside the eight and can still play finals football if they turn it around quickly.
"Last year they were winning more games off the back of their defence," club legend Josh Reynolds said. "The rule changes don't necessarily suit a hard-working defensive side. It's an attack-based game at the moment so that change has hurt them.
"The positive I take from the Dogs is you know when teams aren't having a crack but when you look at the Dogs team week in, week out, they're having a crack. Sometimes they're beaten by a better team, sometimes they're their own worst enemy, but you can't say they're not having a crack."
With a big and vocal fan base, the Bulldogs are one of the most heavily scrutinised teams in the competition.
That has seen Galvin placed under an intense spotlight in the 12 months since he made his club debut.
While the Bulldogs attack has struggled this year and averages just 18 points a game, the 20-year-old halfback has stood tall under difficult circumstances.
The youngster has impressed his teammates with his ability to block out the external noise and back-rower Jacob Preston is confident Galvin's best is still to come.
Lachlan Galvin Try
"Lachy's outstanding," Preston said. "He's the ultimate competitor, he came to the club very young but he's going after it every week and he continues to get better and better.
"He just needs to keep doing what he's doing. Keep going after it at training, you see on the field he's always competing so he's doing very well."
Tickets start from $15 for a King’s Birthday classic - don’t miss Round 14 at Accor Stadium as two heavyweights go head-to-head in a blockbuster clash. Click here to get your tickets today.
