With four wins for the season, and just a two-point loss to Melbourne last month, Crichton believes the Bulldogs can play finals football this year. He said Friday’s game against would be the perfect gauge of whether they are top-eight worthy.

“It’s going to be our biggest challenge and to see definitely where we are on the ladder, and as a team as well, to test our systems and test everything that we’ve been training for,” he said. “There’s no better team to do it up against than the reigning premiers.”

Cameron Ciraldo is also going up against his former club. The Canterbury head coach was an assistant under Ivan Cleary for the Panthers’ 2021 and 2022 premierships.

“I think he [Ciraldo] would be having the same feelings as myself going up against our former team,” Crichton said. “Just preparing the best that we can so that when we come onto that field we know that we’re not going to get much as well, especially with the type of footy that they’re playing.

“They’re a good side, and they’ve got strike all over the park, and we definitely have to be at our best.”

Timely return for Latrell as injury-hit Rabbitohs bring in rookies

Latrell Mitchell will return among a sea of rookies for South Sydney on Saturday as interim head coach Ben Hornby patches together an injury-riddled side.

Mitchell will start at fullback for the clash with the Dragons after serving a three-week suspension for elbowing Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson in the face.

Former Cowboys player Gehamat Shibasaki will line up alongside Mitchell on the wing after being brought into the squad on a week-to-week basis to cover the multimillion-dollar list of injured players, which includes Cameron Murray, Dean Hawkins, Campbell Graham, Tyrone Munro and Jye Gray.

Dion Teaupa and Matt French have also been promoted to the team, while veteran winger Alex Johnston has been named in the reserves but looks unlikely to start this weekend.

The Roosters are set to get an injection of talent after their victory in Brisbane last week, with enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves returning to play his 300th game for the club against the Warriors on Sunday.

Spencer Leniu comes into the team after serving an eight-match ban for a racial slur in the Tricolours’ season opener in Las Vegas, alongside Daniel Tupou who is back on the wing and Victor Radley at lock.

Nathan Cleary returns for the Panthers after being rested during the victory over the Rabbitohs last week, and Paul Alamoti starts in the centres for Izack Tago, who is serving a week suspension for a hip-drop tackle on Jye Gray.

Eels young gun Blaize Talagi gets a start at fullback for their match against the Broncos while skipper Clint Gutherson is injured. The Broncos lose Adam Reynolds to a biceps injury, with Josh Rogers coming in to pair up with Ezra Mam in the halves.

Api Koroisau returns after a back injury sidelined him last week, but the Wests Tigers will be without halfback Aidan Sezer, who will miss four games for a hip drop on Josh Curran.

Elsewhere, Ben Trbojevic returns for the Sea Eagles for the first time since round six for their clash with the Dolphins on Thursday, while the Dolphins also have a number of players coming back from injury, including Herbie Farnworth and Kenny Bromwich.

How fighting loss produced key gain for Wests Tigers

Sunia Turuva has revealed the Wests Tigers’ refusal to give up against premiers Penrith in Bathurst last month convinced him to sign a three-year $1.3 million deal with the club.

Panthers flyer Turuva said he was also close to joining St George Illawarra, but there was too much upside to Benji Marshall’s team to turn down.

He said the only drawback would be if the Tigers committed to calling Accor Stadium home from next year, with the venue so empty and quiet during the Panthers’ victory over Souths on Thursday that players could hear each other talk on the field.

“Watching their [Tigers] footy this year, you can tell they’re heading in the right direction,” Turuva said.

“I know results haven’t been going their way, but they’ve been hanging in there for 80 minutes – the last couple of years they would have given up at half-time or with 20 minutes to go.

“I can definitely see, from the outside looking in, they’re heading in the right direction, and that’s something that encouraged me to go with them.

“The scoreboard might not have shown it, but they made us fight for it [in Bathurst].

“I hadn’t decided by then, and it wasn’t until coach [Ivan Cleary] gave me the week off; it was good not to focus on the footy and just focus on the contract. Big ups to ‘Ive’ for letting me have that week off to deal with that stuff.”

Turuva met Dragons coach Shane Flanagan and Tigers counterpart Marshall, whose laid-back approach reminded him of Cleary.

He also heard good reports about the club from Api Koroisau and Panthers teammate Daine Laurie, while Penrith favourite Jarome Luai will make the switch at the end of this year.

Turuva scored one try and set up two in the win over Souths, and spent the final minutes at fullback.

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The Fijian is open to remaining on the wing at the Tigers, but knows he can slot into fullback and even the centres if required.

The win over Souths was played in front of 8000 fans, which skipper Isaah Yeo said felt more like 4000 fans.

“Hopefully, we can pack it out a bit more than they [Souths] did on Thursday night,” Turuva said when reminded the Tigers could be playing at the Sydney Olympic Park site permanently.

“When we went out there, we could hear each other talking. In a packed-out stadium, you can’t talk to the guys next to you. It was a bit of a weird one.”

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