23 Jun 2017

Foran ruled out of Bulldogs clash

7:12 am on 23 June 2017

Kieran Foran has been ruled out of the Warriors' crunch NRL clash with Canterbury tonight, robbing Josh Reynolds of a showdown with the man who is to assume his Bulldogs' number six jumper next year.

Kieran Foran

Kieran Foran Photo: Photosport

Foran has succumbed to a quad injury, replaced by Ata Hingano in Stephen Kearney's game-day 19-man squad which will take on Foran's future NRL club at Mt Smart Stadium.

Foran's impending move to Belmore coincided with Reynolds taking up a rich four-year deal with the Wests Tigers, with the fiery playmaker stung at having to leave his junior club.

The showdown had promised plenty of feeling however it has been robbed of its headline act.

The Bulldogs will be without winger Brett Morris, who has failed to recover from knee and rib niggles suffered in State of Origin II, while Josh Jackson and David Klemmer are possibilities to back up.

The game shapes as key for both the Warriors who sit in 11th place and Bulldogs who sit in 12th with the winner to remain two points outside the top eight and the loser to drop to four points behind eighth place.

The Origin period has traditionally been the Warriors' time to shine and coinciding with them rocketing up into finals contention.

According to Fox Sports Stats, the Warriors' winning percentage during Origin over the past five seasons has doubled compared to the rest of the year.

Since 2013, the Warriors have won at 37.74 per cent before the Origin player drain sets in and at 26.67 per cent, post Origin III.

In the period that includes the week before Origin I up until the end of the interstate series, they have won at 74.07 per cent - or 20 of 27 matches.

Their winning rate during Origin is the best in the competition, however they are ranked 15th -- only ahead of Newcastle -- for pre-Origin wins and 16th for post-Origin wins.

At a time of year when most sides must do without their best players, the Warriors apart from Jacob Lillyman, have lost no players to Queensland or NSW duty.

"Over the last few years, it definitely has been the period when the Warriors make a charge and they're a quality team and they don't have any guys in Origin this game," Bulldogs prop Aiden Tolman said.

"They're going to be full strength. It's a big game for both teams.

"We're concentrating on ourselves, it's huge for us considering and that is where we sit on this ladder - we need to win this game."

The Warriors have failed to make the top eight in the past five years and gone through three coaches in that time.

-AAP