Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo is confident his side will be able to thwart Manly's Tom Trbojevic on Friday.
The Sea Eagles fullback - nicknamed 'Turbo' - has had a resurgent 2024 after an injury ravaged few years, scoring 16 tries in 17 games, including a hat-trick last weekend.
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Ciraldo acknowledged Trbojevic's quality, but said he believed the Bulldogs had what it takes to limit his influence on the match.
"You're not going to nullify him completely," Ciraldo admitted, "but you... do your homework on him, and you've got to be prepared to defend as a team.
"That's something we've done really well this year is making sure we're connected and defending as a team, and he's a guy that really tests that part of your game, and it'd be great practice for us [ahead of the finals]."
Ciraldo and his chargers are right to be confident, with the Bulldogs securing finals football for the first time since 2016 on the back of a run of 10 wins in the last 12 games, including being in the midst of a five-match winning streak.
They also have the best defence in the competition.
The Bulldogs coach, who was previously an assistant at premiership winning Penrith, was involved in a few battles against Trbojevic where, as defensive coach, he was able to blunt the impact of the star fullback.
He is adamant it will take more than just blueprints from previous teams to stop Trbojevic.
"It's 80 minutes of commitment and concentration," Ciraldo said.
"If you take a play off, he will find you.
"It's going to be a great test for us, if we want to play in big games at the end of the year, we're going to play guys like Tom, and he'll give us a great test on Friday night. We can walk away, I'm sure we'll learn a few things and we'll go from there."
Ciraldo on absence of Crichton, Mann
The Bulldogs will have to do the job without a couple of key players in captain Stephen Crichton and Kurt Mann, out with suspension and injury respectively.
Ciraldo denies the loss of Crichton in particular will have a big impact, citing wins earlier in the year without their star man.
"We're trying to build as a team," he said.
"Newcastle up there was another one - we were missing a lot of players and Critta was one of them - and the Brisbane game obviously without him.
"That's what we've done well at the club this year, the next man up mentality, and guys have come in and got an opportunity and done a good job."
Forward Kurt Mann will miss the rest of the season due to a collarbone injury, but will still be supporting the side according to Ciraldo.
"He's going to be a big loss for us, but as soon as he came off the field he said he was going to join the coaching staff and help out wherever he can, so he'll be a valuable asset.
"He's just thought about the team first and how he could help."
