Despite an early onslaught from the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs scored 36 unanswered points to complete a dominant, comeback victory at 4 Pines Park on Saturday afternoon.
After withholding early pressure from the visitors, the Sea Eagles took full advantage when they reached the opposition 20. With halves Dean Matterson and Troy Dargan combining down the right side, Dargan sent Jackson Ferris over with a floating pass to score Blacktown’s first.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to double their lead when Bulldogs’ Blake Wilson knocked on from a Dargan bomb, allowing Ferris to pick up the ball and score his second try of the afternoon.
The Sea Eagles scored a third with a well-worked play between Joshua Stuckey and Clayton Faulalo, before Matterson fooled the defence with a show-and-go and planted the ball down for a try of his own. All four tries were left unconverted for the home side, leaving the score at 16-nil with just under 20 minutes left in the half.
The Bulldogs shifted the momentum with their first points through Hooker Ryan Gray, who capitalised on a quick play-the-ball from Josh Reynolds and scored underneath the posts from dummy-half.
Two more tries before halftime saw the Bulldogs level the game, with Reynolds putting a chip into the corner for Okunbor to score, before Joash Papalii showed his athleticism by swerving his way to the try-line.
The visitors came out firing in the second half and scored early after five-eighth Karl Oloapu’s grubber ricocheted off of a Sea Eagles player, with Lipoi Hopoi gathering the ball to score and putting the Bulldogs in front.
Centre Jeral Skelton then extended the Bulldogs’ lead, scoring in the corner from a right-side shift started by Oloapu. A penalty goal saw the Dogs increase their lead to 30-16.
The dominance continued when Oloapu showed his ability again, stepping his way through the Sea Eagles’ line to give the Bulldogs a 36-16 win.
Talking Points
The Bulldogs’ incredible fightback. Down 16-0 just over 20 minutes into the game, it looked to be a one-sided game until the visitors were able to swing momentum and score 36 unanswered points.
Josh Reynolds was impressive in his first game back for the Bulldogs and led the team around the park effectively.
Karl Oloapu, 18, starred in his first NSW Cup game. He had a hand in all the Bulldogs’ second half tries while showcasing his agility and explosiveness throughout the game.
Key Moment
The momentum of the game completely changed when the returning Josh Reynolds took on the line and played the ball quickly, allowing Ryan Gray scoop up possession and score his side’s first try of the match.
