Bulldogs.com.au takes a look back at season 2016 in a three part series.
Round 1: Bulldogs 28 Sea Eagles 6
Brett Stewart was a late scratching, but his involvement may have made no difference as the Bulldogs dominated a Manly outfit that never got going at Brookvale Oval.
Josh Morris scored his 100th try giving he and twin brother Brett the unique honour of becoming the first brothers to notch 100 tries each in first grade.
Chase Stanley (cork, TBA), Michael Lichaa (knee, TBA) were the main injuries to come out of the clash.
Manly players Steve Matai (high tackle) and Martin Taupau (shoulder charge) were both placed on report but were cleared by the match review committee.
Round 2: Bulldogs 18 Panthers 16
It was all about Bulldogs youngster Kerrod Holland, a 23-year-old kid from Singleton, who kicked the match-winning conversion after the full-time siren on his NRL debut. It was the stuff dreams are made of.
"It was always going over, I knew straight away" Holland said in a post-match interview.
"I knew we had it won, as soon as he [Moses Mbye] went over, all the confidence in the world."
The Panthers led for the entire contest with Peter Wallace playing well at dummy-half despite wearing the No.7 jumper, but the Bulldogs refused to give up and a starring performance from Moses Mbye and the ever-reliable James Graham kept them in the contest.
Canterbury snatched victory at the death to hand Penrith their second tight loss in a row to start the season. David Klemmer was charged for making contact with a referee and could miss two matches.
Round 3: Eels 20 Bulldogs 6
Parramatta winger Semi Radradra stole the show against the Bulldogs with a freakish acrobatic try assist - then scored two of his own for good measure including a barnstorming, tackle-breaking run straight through the heart of Canterbury's defence. Michael Jennings also scored his first try in Eels colours.
Round 4: Bulldogs 42 Rabbitohs 12
Josh Morris scored a double in his 200th NRL game as the Bulldogs smashed the Rabbitohs on Good Friday. The Bulldogs led 32-0 after 30 minutes before easing to a comfortable victory. Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston was a surprise omission shortly before kick-off with a hamstring tweak, while plenty were left to wonder about the impact Sam Burgess's absence made to the Rabbitohs side.
Round 5: Raiders 22 Bulldogs 8
The Raiders won their first game at Belmore since 1990 with a dominant 22-8 victory over an error-riddled Bulldogs side on Monday night. Both teams suffered injury setbacks in the first half with the Raiders losing Iosia Soliola to a broken arm while Canterbury's Chase Stanley suffered a hamstring injury in his 100th NRL appearance. The return of half duo Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer helped the Raiders ease into third place on the ladder, while the Bulldogs inconsistent start to the season continued.
Round 6: Bulldogs 18 Storm 12
The Bulldogs extended their winning streak over the Melbourne Storm to six matches with an 18-12 win at AAMI Park. The Bulldogs defence was outstanding with Sam Perrett making a number of try-saving tackles on Storm flyer Marika Koroibete. Des Hasler only used 16 men with forward Adam Elliot spending the whole 80 minutes on the bench. While Craig Bellamy will be hoping his side’s attack improves in the coming weeks.
Round 7: Warriors 24 Bulldogs 20
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck left the field early and has since been ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in a devastating blow to the Warriors after a good win over the Bulldogs.
Tuimoala Lolohea continued his great start to the season, filling in at fullback and causing havoc. It was a much-needed win for the Warriors but the Bulldogs were left thinking it was one that got away. Rookie Kerrod Holland continues to perform well for the Bulldogs in the centres, while the halves pair of Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye failed to fire.
Round 8: Bulldogs 21 Titans 20
A Josh Reynolds field goal in golden point was the difference, as the Bulldogs edged the Titans. Gold Coast had their chance to win, but Tyrone Roberts's shot skewed wide and the Bulldogs marched up field and didn't waste the opportunity. The Titans were left ruing yet another slow start, again coming from behind to level the scores before eventually going down.
Round 9: Eels 20 Bulldogs 12
Parramatta were without Foran, but were not lacking in motivation as Corey Norman stepped up and helped the blue and golds to a heartfelt victory over the Bulldogs. Brad Takairangi played in the halves, and the Eels lost the returning Tim Mannah to a shoulder injury in the first half, while Michael Gordon went off with a quad strain.
But the Eels showed enormous heart to beat the Bulldogs, while Des Hasler's men continued their inconsistent start to the season.
