The Bulldogs' eight-point loss at Belmore Sportsground saw the Cowboys leapfrog Hasler's men into the top four on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder.
While both sides are tied on 32 competition points on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder, the Cowboys' superior differential (now +213) has them in the box seat to earn a second chance in the finals in a fortnight's time.
Hasler pointed out a period late on in the first half where the Bulldogs turned the Cowboys away for six-consecutive sets on their try-line as a positive.
The key stats are below!
STATISTICS | v BRONCOS, ANZ STADIUM | WIN 40-14
Team Stats:
Penalties | Bulldogs 8, Cowboys 6.
Completions | Bulldogs 29/38 (76.3%), Cowboys 34/42 (81%).
Total runs | Bulldogs 155, Cowboys 184.
Metres gained | Bulldogs 1315m, Cowboys 1665m.
Line dropouts| Bulldogs 5, Cowboys 0.
Line breaks | Bulldogs 1, Cowboys 5.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs 22, Cowboys 20.
Kicks (kicking metres) | Bulldogs 18 (450m), Cowboys 25 (541m).
Kick return metres | Bulldogs 102m, Cowboys 174m.
Tackles Made | Bulldogs 366, Cowboys 314.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs 20, Cowboys 22.
Offloads | Bulldogs 7, Cowboys 6.
Errors | Bulldogs 12, Cowboys 9.
Make sure you're at ANZ Stadium with your colours showing your loud and proud in Round 26!
Individual Stats:
Runs | Bulldogs: Graham 19, Klemmer 17, Hopoate 12. Cowboys: Taumalolo 22, Lowe 17, Linnett 15.
Metres gained | Bulldogs: Graham 165, Klemmer 156, Hopoate 121. Cowboys: Taumalol 208, Lowe 192, Linnett 141.
Tackles made | Bulldogs: Lichaa 49, Graham 43, Tolman 39. Cowboys: Cooper 38, Tamou 29, Lowe 28.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs: Klemmer 3, Williams 2, Mbye 2. Cowboys: Thurston 5, O’Neill 3, Scott 2.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs: Eastwood 4, B Morris 4, Klemmer 2. Cowboys: Taumalolo 3, Bolton 3, Thurston 2.
Offloads | Bulldogs: Reynolds 3, RFM 2, Holland 1. Cowboys: Feldt 1, Scott 1, Tamou 1.
