James Graham praised for incredible $10,000 act for Bulldogs fans ahead of NRL finals game

James Graham is so desperate to see an army of blue and white supporting Canterbury in their elimination final against Manly this weekend that he has purchased $10,000 worth of tickets to give to Bulldogs supporters. The former Bulldogs captain revealed on his podcast 'The Bye Round' that he had shelled out the money after pledging on Triple M radio that he would help Bulldogs supporters drown out the Manly fans' noise on Sunday afternoon.

Graham originally made the pledge when it looked like Manly would be hosting at Brookvale Oval. But now it's at Accor Stadium and the Bulldogs are actually the home team because they finished higher on the ladder, Graham is still putting his money where his mouth is.

“I bought $10,000 worth of tickets for the Dogs fans,” Graham said. "So I think we have 230 tickets. This is out of my own pocket. I was like right, I am going to do it. The wave of support of Dogs fans is so important. It is going to be the difference I think. I read some things in yesterday’s paper where Manly have said no, they will travel. Well, the Dogs fans will drown them out with the noise."

This year marks the first time in eight years that the Bulldogs are playing finals footy. Rising from 15th last season into a top-eight position in 2024 has seen the club's long-suffering diehard fan base see some light at the end of the tunnel. And more than 50,000 fans are expected to flood into Accor Stadium to watch Sunday afternoon's do-or-die clash.

Bulldogs fans can go in the running for the free tickets by sending an email to 'The Bye Round' podcast or a DM to their Instagram account, but must attach proof that they are a Dogs fan. Graham and producer Charlie White will then select the winners, with approximately 230 tickets up for grabs. “We need to be very loud and get us home,” Graham said. And Bulldogs fans praised the selfless act by their former club captain and vowed to turn up in numbers.

Max King believes Bulldogs pack can get Manly revenge

Canterbury were dominated by Manly's forward pack just two weeks ago as they went down 34-22. And the Sea Eagles have made no secret of their plans to take on Canterbury's middle once again in Sunday's elimination final.

Known for sporting a smaller but more mobile pack, Bulldogs players have at times been dominated through the middle this season. But Max King says if the Sea Eagles believe they will have the same success as they did two weeks ago going down the middle on Sunday, they are in for a shock.

"You roll the eyes when (the criticism of the pack) is a default thing. But I think there are definitely times it's fair," King told AAP. "I remember playing the Roosters at Gosford as well and (we were beaten in the middle there).

"It's a pride thing. To walk off and think we lost today because their pack is better than our pack (hurts). Particularly felt that after the Manly game, they came out really well and strong."

The Bulldogs' defence was seen as the pinnacle of the NRL throughout most of the season. Cameron Ciraldo implemented a similar version to Penrith's defensive system, slightly altered to suit the smaller size of the Bulldogs pack. But in recent weeks the defence has looked like a shell of itself.

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After Canterbury were beaten in the middle by the Sea Eagles, the Cowboys did the same thing last weekend, with the Bulldogs conceding 78 points in the past two weeks. But King says the defence just wasn't switched on but insists it will be come Sunday.

"You get confidence through playing alongside each other while still getting results (with our size)," King said. "We have every reason to believe in each other.

"Most of the year it has been great for us. There are games where we haven't been on and we feel dominated. But it's just a matter of, they know who we are. We're going to look to exploit that. And we know who we are and we're going to look to play to our strengths."

with AAP