It was a hard-fought match, however the SG Ball Cup side's season concluded with a high-scoring battle against the Canberra Raiders in the second week of finals.
By Matt Attard.
SG Ball Cup: Bulldogs 22 def by Raiders 38
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ 2025 SG Ball Cup campaign came to a close in a hard-fought sudden-death semi final against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday, going down 38-22 in a high quality contest at Leichhardt Oval.
Match: Raiders v Bulldogs
Finals Week 2 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Bulldogs
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The Bulldogs showed plenty of heart and resilience throughout the match, matching the Raiders blow-for-blow in the first half. Early momentum was seized by winger Paul Johnson, who crossed in just the sixth minute to put the Bulldogs on the board.
Halfback Mitchell Woods added a try in the 29th minute and scores were locked at 12-12 at half time.
SG Ball Cup Highlights - Finals Week Two
A powerful effort from second rower Sosaia Alatini gave the Bulldogs the lead just after the break. Despite a determined start to the second half, the Raiders gradually took control, running in four second half tries and adding a penalty goal.
Johnson managed to bag his second try in the 66th minute to keep the Bulldogs in the hunt, but Canberra’s clinical execution proved decisive.
While the result ends the Bulldogs’ finals run for 2025, the season overall has been a promising one. Underpinned by strong development and standout performances from a talented group of young players, the team has laid a solid foundation for the future.
