The Penrith Panthers advanced to the second week of the finals series thanks to a scintillating second-half attacking spree that saw them overturn an early deficit into a 28-12 victory.
While the Panthers produced the sort of football that will have their fans dreaming of a first premiership in 13 years, the Bulldogs can look to next year after injuries to key personnel ended their 2016 campaign.
The key stats are below!
STATISTICS | v PANTHERS, ALLIANZ STADIUM | LOSS 28-12
Team Stats:
Penalties | Bulldogs 4, Panthers 8.
Completions | Bulldogs 31/37 (83.8%), Panthers 32/39 (82.1%).
Total runs | Bulldogs 178, Panthers 181.
Metres gained | Bulldogs 1521m, Panthers 1892m.
Line dropouts| Bulldogs 0, Panthers 0.
Line breaks | Bulldogs 2, Panthers 8.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs 31, Panthers 41.
Kicks (kicking metres) | Bulldogs 25 (716m), Panthers 14 (336m).
Kick return metres | Bulldogs 125m, Panthers 262m.
Tackles Made | Bulldogs 320, Panthers 326.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs 41, Panthers 31.
Offloads | Bulldogs 16, Panthers 12.
Errors | Bulldogs 5, Panthers 12.
Individual Stats:
Runs | Bulldogs: Klemmer 23, Tolman 17, Perrett 16. Panthers: Merrin 19, Mansour 18, Moylan 18.
Metres gained | Bulldogs: Klemmer 226m, Tolman 149m, Perrett 127m. Panthers: Mansour 275m, DWZ 236m, Merrin 185m.
Tackles made | Bulldogs: Tolman 51, Lichaa 39, Graham 33. Panthers: Merrin 49, Wallace 49, Fisher-Harris 39.
Missed tackles | Bulldogs: Eastwood 7, Perrett 5, Kasiano 4. Panthers: Grevsmuhl 7, Fisher-Harris 6, Wallace 3.
Tackle breaks | Bulldogs: Phillips 6, Perrett 4, Reynolds 3. Panthers: Moylan 9, Peachey 9, Mansour 5.
Offloads | Bulldogs: Kasiano 5, Williams 3, J.Morris 3. Panthers: Moylan 4, Cartwright 4, Yeo 1.
