Senior Pathways Wrap Round 2: Bulldogs Bounce Bears at Belmore

By Anthony Eltarraf, NSWRL.com

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs secured their first win of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup 2025 season with a dominant 46-28 victory over the North Sydney Bears at Belmore Sports Ground.

Determined to bounce back from their Round One defeat, the Bulldogs wasted no time asserting their dominance, opening the scoring just three minutes into the match. A well-executed short-side play saw Jethro Rinakama dive over in the corner, setting the tone for the afternoon.

The hosts extended their lead soon after as Jordi Mazzone went over on the opposite flank, courtesy of a pinpoint cutout pass from Blake Taaffe.

Despite the Bulldogs’ early dominance, the Bears found a response through Bronson Garlick, whose deceptive dummy fooled three defenders, allowing him to race through untouched.

However, the Bulldogs quickly regained control, running in three consecutive tries to build a commanding 30-6 lead. Drew Hutchison finished off another left-side short play, Mazzone bagged his second in the corner doing well to get the ball down before going into touch, and Jonathan Sua provided the highlight of the half—picking up a loose ball, slicing through the defensive line, and sprinting 70 metres to score under the posts.

Just before halftime, the Bears clawed back slightly through Jake Toby’s individual brilliance. A grubber in behind the Bulldogs’ defence saw Toby regather to score, as the Bulldogs took a comfortable 30-12 lead into the break.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with the Bulldogs exposing the Bears’ edge defence once more. Taaffe exposed the visitors’ defence with a show-and-go to cross the line before converting his own try.

The Bears hit back with arguably the play of the game, as Toby launched a stunning long pass to Abiarthur Toi Tuilaepa, who scored untouched in the corner. However, an unsuccessful conversion kept the margin at 36-16.

The Bulldogs refused to let up, adding two more tries through Jack Todd, who burst through the middle and evaded the fullback to score, and Alan Holten, who powered over from dummy half.

Late consolation tries from Garlick and Nathaniel Roache narrowed the scoreline, but the Bulldogs’ dominance had already sealed a comprehensive 46-28 win.

Talking Points

Blake Taaffe had a field day at Belmore, picking up 18 points himself through a try and two try assists, while converting seven from eight tries.
The Bears’ edge defence struggled to deal with the Bulldogs’ attack, conceding six tries in wide channels.
Canterbury-Bankstown’s forward pack laid a solid foundation, providing their playmakers with the space to dictate the game.

Key Moment

The Bulldogs looked dominant throughout much of the match, however the game felt out of reach for the Bears when Jonathan Sua capitalised on a loose ball on his own 30 metre line and sliced through a broken line before showcasing his speed as he sprinted 70 metres to score.

What’s Next?

The Bulldogs will look to continue their momentum when they face the Parramatta Eels at CommBank Stadium in a traditional rivalry clash. Meanwhile, the Bears remain on the road as they take on the Western Suburbs Magpies at Lidcombe Oval.

Jersey Flegg Cup: Bulldogs 20 def by Storm 30, Silktails 22 def by Raiders 40

Both the Bulldogs and Kaiviti Silktails Jersey Flegg Cup sides were unable to get the two points in their respective matches in Round 2.

For the Bulldogs, a double from William Afualo wasn't enough to chase down the Melbourne Storm at Hammondville Oval, with their opponents scoring five tries to four in a disappointing result at home.

The Silktails took on one of the tougher road trips in the competition to GIO Stadium in Canberra. Despite the Raiders running in a 34-4 half-time lead, the Silktails never showed signs of giving up and will take plenty of confidence from their second half with Alipate Qoro, Senivalati Vunibola and Bill Taria touching down. 

In Round 3, the Bulldogs will face rivals Parramatta at New Era Stadium in Cabramatta, while the Silktails will host their first match of the season against the St George Illawarra Dragons at Prince Charles Park in Nadi. 

Ron Massey Cup: Bulldogs 18 def by Brothers 28

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' Ron Massey Cup season began with a 28-18 defeat to Brothers Penrith at Hammondville Oval on Saturday.

A slow start to the match put the Bulldogs on the back foot early, with Jacob Lowe's try in the 29th minute - despite being down a man - closing the gap to a 22-6 half-time score.

But Brothers took control back in the early stages of the second half, with consolation tries to Ragarive Wavik and Mac Puafisi bringing the scoreline back to a respectable ten points. 

The Bulldogs face the Cabramatta Two Blues at New Era Stadium on Saturday night.