The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have claimed back-to-back wins to start a season for the first time since 2016 in front of a packed out Belmore Sports Ground, defeating the Gold Coast Titans 40-24.
A crowd of 17,892 dedicated Bulldogs Members and supporters packed into the hallowed ground and braved the sweltering conditions that peaked at 37 degrees.
Match: Bulldogs v Titans
Round 2 -
home Team
Bulldogs
3rd Position
away Team
Titans
13th Position
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
The Bulldogs started hard and fast, building a 22-nil lead after as many minutes, before a late try to Connor Tracey sealed the result after a brief Titans comeback.
The electric energy from the crowd saw a quick start from the Bulldogs, with local junior Marcelo Montoya opening the scoring just two minutes into the contest after a charge down.
Montoya Opens the Scoring
The Blue and Whites capitalised on another error, with a classy show-and-go from Jaeman Salmon seeing the fill-in lock slip through the cracks and extend the lead to ten following Matt Burton's successful conversion.
The roll-on continued with the headgear heroes combining; Burton burst through the middle to find Reed Mahoney who touched down for his first try of the season.
Salmon Slips Through to Score
Josh Curran made sure he didn't miss out on any of the action either, burrow his way to the line and marking his first match of the season with a four-pointer.
A late hit on the kicker gave the Titans a chance to reply midway through the first half but a herculean one-on-one effort from Max King over the line stopped AJ Brimson in his tracks.
Curran Burrows Over
While Burton left the field following an awkward collision, it was ill-discipline that gave the Titans the last say of the half with two tries to Alofiana Khan-Pereira and leaving the scores at 22-12.
Not deterred by the shift in momentum, Cameron Ciraldo's men showed plenty of intention to start the second half, with Harry Hayes catching a bomb bobbled from the Titans and sending Jacob Preston over just one minute upon resumption.
Preston Scores a Pearler
Knocking the door down with strong charges from Kikau and Sitili Tupouniua, it was Kurt Man who crashed under the posts, sending the crowd into raptures.
Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was the next to score, and with fatigue setting into the final quarter of the match, the visitors crossed once more through Jojo Fifita.
Kurt Mann Crashes Over
Needing to recalibrate, the Blue and Whites showed plenty of composure to force back-to-back drop outs, slowing down the game as they led by ten points with just ten minutes on the clock.
Captain Crichton stood up and showed plenty of poise with just three minutes remaining, scooping up a loose ball for winger Blake Wilson, who streamed downfield before Connor Tracey put the match to bed.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 40 (Marcelo Montoya, Jaeman Salmon, Reed Mahoney, Josh Curran, Jacob Preston, Kurt Mann, Connor Tracey tries; Matt Burton 3, Stephen Crichton 3 goals) def Gold Coast Titans 24 (Alofiana Khan-Pereira 2, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Jojo Fifita tries; Jayden Campbell 4 goals)
Tracey Seals the Result!
