Canterbury will play for the first time under interim coach Mick Potter when they face off against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval on Friday evening.
In a 15th v 16th battle, the loser will sit at the bottom of the table once the result is in.
While there are plenty of storylines involved in this match-up, one that’s made headlines is rumours of Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire potentially replacing the departed Trent Barrett at Belmore.
In response to those links, The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio says Maguire hosed down speculation by stating he’s focused only on his current role.
“About storylines, one popped up yesterday and it certainly surprised me and shocked me,” Riccio said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“Michael Maguire’s name was being linked to the Bulldogs as this left-field option to potentially move to the Tigers from Canterbury to replace Trent Barrett.
“There was also talk of Shane Flanagan hopping into Maguire’s job and as a result Maguire going to the Dogs.
“Maguire’s moved to shut that down yesterday, telling reporters that he’s not interested in the Canterbury job and he’s focused on the Wests Tigers.
“It’s the first step in Maguire shooting that story down, again, I just thought of it as highly unlikely.”
Despite Maguire’s rebuttal, The Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield says both Maguire and Flanagan would be at the top of Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould’s list of candidates.
Maguire is contracted with the Tigers through until the end of the 2023 season.