'Dogs relishing 'home' clash in Brisbane
Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore says playing Friday's home NRL fixture against the Gold Coast at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium holds no fears for his high-flying side.
Moore, who guided his undermanned team to a superb 18-14 win over the Warriors in Auckland on Sunday, said the opportunity to play in Brisbane was one his players were relishing despite giving up home advantage at ANZ Stadium where they are unbeaten this season .
The Bulldogs will take on the in-form Titans as part of a double header at Suncorp with their game following the clash between Brisbane and South Sydney which gets underway at 6.40pm (AEST).
"It is good for the club from the financial side of things and we have a lot of supporters up in south-east Queensland and it will allow them to go and watch the team," Moore told AAP.
"We also have a really good record in Brisbane and I know the players love playing at Suncorp so it should be a good night."
Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg is hoping it will become an annual event.
"We have played home games there before and it has worked really well as we have a lot of fans in Queensland," Greenberg told AAP.
Brisbane and the Bulldogs, as the respective home teams, will split the proceeds 50-50 and there are other incentives relating to the attendance on the night.
"If we played this game in Sydney we would probably get 10,000 in, but with rugby league being so well attended in Brisbane we are hopeful we can take advantage of that," Greenberg said.
"We and the Broncos want to make it a regular thing where we have a double-header the Friday after State of Origin and hopefully it will become an annual event to look forward to."
Moore admitted the win over the Warriors at the weekend was his most satisfying since taking over as coach at the start of the season, with no fewer than eight players missing due to injuries, State of Origin commitments and suspensions.
"It's all part of footy and you've got to play cards with the hand you are dealt, but it also give the other players a chance to step up and get an opportunity at an important stage of the season and it all went well," he said.
"It is tough playing reserve grade week in week out especially when the first grade team is going so well, but I was confident the guys coming in would do a job and I was delighted with the way the stepped up.
"It bodes well for the future of the club and I was very proud of them."
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