Academy Wrap Round 3: Tarsha Gale and Lisa Fiaola Remain Undefeated

Heading into a week off, the Bulldogs Lisa Fiaola Cup side sit at the top of the ladder alongside the Central Coast Roosters and Parramatta Eels with three wins and no losses. 

It comes off an impressive 42-4 win against the highly-touted Illawarra Steelers, which saw the side score eight tries via seven different try scorers. 

Head Coach Vanessa Foliaki highlighted her pride in the side's resolve as they have a well-deserved rest in Round 4 with the bye. 

"Both teams headed into the round undefeated, and as expected, the Steelers put up a great challenge," she explained.

"We started the first half at 25% completion, but once we eliminated our errors, points started to flow.

I was particularly proud of the way we held our defence on the line as at once stage, the Steelers had three repeat sets in our 10 and the girls kept turning up for each other.

"They have earned their well-deserved rest heading into the bye as we look to reset and go again coming into the second half of our season."

Tarsha Gale Cup: Bulldogs 22 def Steelers 20

It was a nail-biting victory for the Blue and White at Hammondville Oval against the 2024 Premiers, as the Bulldogs withstood a late comeback to secure a 22-20 victory.

The undefeated Bulldogs started hard and fast, taking an 18-nil lead at the break, before Illawarra mounted a comeback that fell agonisingly short, handing the hosts their third consecutive victory to start the season.

Head Coach Nik Wolfgramm was stern in his assessment, which saw the side come up with the victory thanks to a wayward conversion on full-time. 

"There were a lot of positives and learning from the weekend past. Up against last year's Premiers, the girls put in a strong first half to go up 18-nil," he said. 

It was a tale of two halves; complacency and a few tries against the run of play invited the Steelers back in, with an opportunity to level the game on the buzzer and a sigh of relief as the conversion was unsuccessful.

"Though it was a win, the girls felt that they were lucky to take that one. With this weekend off, there will be a lot of focus on what we can do better as a squad moving forward." 

Harold Matthews Cup: 16 Bulldogs def by Tigers 18

It was a heartbreaking two-point defeat for the Bulldogs' Harold Matthews side, downed 18-16 against Balmain at Leichhardt Oval which was decided in the dying stages of the match. 

The teams went tit for tat to begin proceedings, with the Bulldogs taking a handy 12-6 lead at the break despite having a man in the sin bin. 

Despite extending the lead soon after, a second binning allowed the hosts to make inroads in the last ten minutes to steal the victory with two tries. 

Head Coach Mark O'Meley was candid in his assessment of the match.

"The loss to the Tigers was a very valuable lesson learned," O'Meley said.

It is hard to fault the players' efforts, but handing over so much possession will always test our character.

"We need to respect the ball and respect the rules, as we constantly handed over cheap possession early on.

"When we did complete sets, we looked powerful, held good shape and got in good positions to ask questions of the Tigers' defence. 

"We have the bye this weekend to reset and focus on the basics, with two weeks to get ready for our match against the Dragons."

SG Ball Cup: 42 Bulldogs def Warriors 22

The SG Ball Cup Bulldogs continued their strong form after an opening round loss, claiming an impressive victory over the New Zealand Warriors on the road in Hamilton. 

The Warriors started fast with two tries giving them an early lead, but the Bulldogs responded, with five-eighth Bronson Reuben crossing in the 16th minute and fullback Jai Callaghan levelling the scores at 10-all.

From there, Captain and halfback Alex Conti took control, delivering a standout performance with three try assists, a try of his own, and seven successful conversions, leading his side to a crucial win.

Head Coach Steve Turner was thrilled with the result, as well as the invaluable experience the trip gave to his fledgling side. 

"It was a great opportunity for the boys to play in front of a crowd and before an NRL Pre-Season Challenge match," he said.

It's always a tough trip to New Zealand, but the boys were outstanding over the weekend. They built a great connection, represented the Club in a great manner and came away with a great result. 

"I'm very happy for the boys especially the players that came from New Zealand who had the opportunity to play in front of friends and family.

"We now need to keep working on the areas of the game that got us the win, and continue to chase excellence."