In what was a tight contest for the first 40 minutes the only statistic where the Broncos had a decided edge at full-time was the error count where they handed the ball over on only seven occasions compared to Canterbury's 16.
A try 40 seconds from half-time saw the visitors trail 10-4 at the break but making 13 errors in the second term and completing only 12 of 22 sets at 55 per cent gave the Broncos a gilt-edged invitation they were not going to pass up.
The two sides engaged in a tense arm wrestle throughout the majority of the first half that compared favourably to the intensity of a finals clash but the Broncos – while far from perfect at 70 per cent completions – were more disciplined with ball in hand.
The key stats are below!
STATISTICS | v BRONCOS, ANZ STADIUM | WIN 40-14
Team Stats:
Penalties | Bulldogs 5, Broncos 7.
Completions | Bulldogs 29/43 (67.4%), Broncos 33/40 (82.5%).
Total runs | Bulldogs 180, Broncos 175.
Metres gained | Bulldogs 1420m, Broncos 1572m.
Line dropouts| Bulldogs 2, Broncos 2.
Line breaks | Bulldogs 1, Broncos 2.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs 25, Broncos 28.
Kicks (kicking metres) | Bulldogs 24 (599m), Broncos 27 (684m).
Kick return metres | Bulldogs 170m, Broncos 209m.
Tackles Made | Bulldogs 317, Broncos 369.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs 28, Broncos 25.
Offloads | Bulldogs 11, Broncos 11.
Errors | Bulldogs 16, Broncos 7.
DON'T MISS OUR ROUND 25 CLASH WITH THE COWBOYS AT BELMORE SPORTS GROUND
Individual Stats:
Runs | Bulldogs: Graham 20, Hopoate 20, Klemmer 17. Broncos: McGuire 16, Kahu 15, Milford 15.
Metres gained | Bulldogs: Graham 150m, Klemmer 150m, Hopoatre 150m. Broncos: Milford 165m, Oates 150m, McGuire 144m.
Tackles made | Bulldogs: Lichaa 42, Graham 39, Tolman 36. Broncos: McCullough 62, McGuire 47, Thaiday 41.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs: Reynolds 9, Mbye 4, Eastwood 3. Broncos: Hunt 5, Glenn 4, Gillett 4.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs: Eastwood 4, J Morris 3, B Morris 3. Broncos: Milford 5, Hunt 4, Boyd 2.
Offloads | Bulldogs: Reynolds 2, J Morris 2, Browne 1. Broncos: Parker 3, Milford 2, Glenn 1.
