It was a tough loss but one that Cameron Ciraldo's men will certainly learn from, with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs downed 34-22 against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Accor Stadium.
The Bulldogs army stood up in support of their finals-bound side, with 35,502 overcoming Friday night traffic to cheer on the Blue and White.
Match: Bulldogs v Sea Eagles
Round 26 -
home Team
Bulldogs
5th Position
away Team
Sea Eagles
7th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
The Bulldogs made a stunning opening when they shifted left from a tap restart and Matt Burton, Connor Tracey and Bronson Xerri combined before Josh Addo-Carr shrugged off two defenders and found Reed Mahoney backing up for a try in just the second minute.
On the back of a high tackle penalty against Viliame Kikau the Sea Eagles looked to have answered back in the ninth minute when Haumole Olakau'atu flew high to drag down a bomb but replays showed he had knocked the ball on in the contest.
Reed Mahoney Try
Straight from the scrum play the Sea Eagles came up with a trick play and Olakau'atu combined with Reuben Garrick to send Jason Saab over in the corner and the scores were locked at 6-6.
Four minutes later the Sea Eagles had another when Olakau'atu got an offload away that went to ground but Luke Brooks toed the ball ahead and regathered before finding Tom Trbojevic in support for a 12-6 lead with Garrick's conversion.
Addo-Carr Crosses in the Corner
Slick lead-up by Brooks, Tom Trbojevic and Tommy Talau in the 19th minute set Lehi Hopoate up for a try before Addo-Carr hit back for the Bulldogs as both sides showed off their array of attacking skills.
A mistake by Xerri in the 31st minute handed Manly field position and Brooks came up with a peach of a pass to put Karl Lawton into space and the visitors took a 24-12 lead to the break.
Four minutes into the second half the Bulldogs got across the line through Kikau but the bunker ruled an obstruction on Olakau'atu and the try was ruled out.
Kikau Monsters DCE
A 40-20 kick by Daly Cherry-Evans in the 47th minute put Manly in the red zone but the Dogs held on before Brooks got the ball back with a one-on-one steal and Hopoate crossed for his second to put the Sea Eagles out by 18 points.
A solo try by Garrick in the 52nd minute made it 34-12 as the Sea Eagles made a statement just two weeks out from the finals.
Jacob Preston Try
The Bulldogs lost Matt Burton to a failed HIA in the 52nd minute, while the Sea Eagles lost Tom Trbojevic to a head cut and shoulder injury in the 64th minute. Kurtis Morrin also left the field in the 62nd minute for a HIA assessment, but returned later as he passed.
The Bulldogs managed to claw back at the deficit before full-time with back-rower Jacob Preston pouring into a hole to strike back and bring the score back to 34-16.
The Bulldogs finished the night with a second try for Mahoney courtesy of a chip over the top from Addo-Carr after a dozen other players had been involved in the movement.
The side will look to return to the winners' circle next Saturday, September 7 when they return to Accor Stadium to take on the North Queensland Cowboys.
Mahoney Scores His Second
Match Snapshot
- Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri was placed on report in the 18th minute for dangerous contact.
- Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton went on report for a reported attempted trip.
- Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored 23 tries in 26 games at Accor Stadium.
- Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri ran for 227 metres and had seven tackle breaks.
- This was the first time the Bulldogs had conceded 30 points all season.
- Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton left the field for a HIA in the 52nd minute which he failed.
- The Sea Eagles have won 10 of their past 11 games against the Bulldogs.
- Bulldogs bench forward Kurtis Morrin left the field for a HIA in the 62nd minute which he passed.
