Senior Pathways Wrap Round 9: Flegg Wallop Roosters

The Bulldogs bounced back soon after through some tough work from their middle forwards. Taniela Otukolo bashed his way through the middle before skipping past a defender and flick-passing out to Joseph O’Neill who dived over for a try. The kick was converted directly in front to bring the score to 12-6.

The away side scored back-to-back tries to level the scores 12-12. Rising outside back Jonathan Sua spotted a gap in the defensive line and took it on himself, skipping through several players before offloading to Ragarive Wavik who scored comfortably.

The Bulldogs scored a third try to put them in the lead for the first time. Cassius Tia found Wavik outside on the right edge who then tapped the ball along to Blake Wilson, who dived into the corner for his first points of the day. The conversion was slotted from the side-line by Tia to give his side a 16-12 lead.

Canterbury-Bankstown scored a fourth successive try to give them a healthy lead thanks to some tough work through the middle. A short ball found Larry Muagututia who barged his way through the defence and crashed over for his first NSW Cup try. The conversion was slotted for a 24-12 lead.

Thirty seconds remained in the first half, and with Bulldogs on the Roosters’ 10-metre line, a short ball found Cassius Tia who slotted a field goal from directly in front to give his side a 25-12 lead going into half-time.

Canterbury-Bankstown picked up where they left off in the second half as they scored another try through the middle. Forward Logan Spinks bashed his way through the Roosters defence and looked to be held up, but managed to extend his arm out and secure the four-pointer. The lead was extended out to 31-12 following the conversion.

The Roosters managed to get a try back at the halfway point of the second half to fight their way back into the contest. Some tidy passing down the left edge found Ashton Warwick who ran a tidy line to score his second try of the season and tighten the margin to 31-16.

The Roosters scored back-to-back tries as the momentum looked to swing. The left edge was in full flight as Chad Townsend found halves partner Jake Elliott outside him, who found a gap in the defensive line and scored himself a try. Townsend converted the try to make it 31-22.

The Roosters scored three in a row as they tightened the gap to make it a one-score game. Dom Young blitzed down the right wing and passed inside to Kyron Fekitoa who scored with ease. The kick was converted to bring the score to 31-28.

The home side took the lead with five minutes remaining as Ethan King threw a cut-out pass over to Dom Young who strolled over to score a comfortable try and give his side a 32-31 lead.

The Roosters all but confirmed the victory when that dangerous left edge found its way out to Tom Rodwell who leaped into the corner to score his second. Townsend nailed the kick from the side-line to make the final score 38-31.

Talking Points

• Bulldogs half Joseph O’Neill continued his impressive form this week as he took over the kicking as the dominant half and scored himself a try.
• Dominic Young had himself an impressive game in an attempt to get back into first grade. He showcased his speed, set up two tries and scored the winning try.
• Jake Elliott had himself a strong game with the rising half showcasing his short kicking game, producing a line-break and scoring a try.

Key Moment

Roosters looked down and out as the Bulldogs led 31-12 but a tidy try from Ashton Warwick kicked off the comeback, as they scored an additional four unanswered tries.

What’s Next?

In Round 10 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup the competition heads to Tamworth for NSWRL Regional Magic Round, with the Roosters facing off against Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Bulldogs will play traditional rivals, the Parramatta Eels.

Jersey Flegg Cup: Bulldogs 42 def Roosters 18, Silktails 4 def by Sea Eagles 24

Just weeks after steering the SG Ball Cup side through to the second week of finals, halfback Mitchell Woods had a day to remember as the Bulldogs thumped the Sydney Roosters 42-18 in Round 9 of the Jersey Flegg Cup.

Woods finished the day with two tries and five goals for a personal tally of eighteen points as his team claimed a solid 24-point win at Wentworth Park on Sunday afternoon.

After a see-sawing first half that saw the Roosters claim an unlikely 18-10 lead at the break, the Bulldogs clicked into gear courtesy of their no.7 who scored the first try of the second stanza.

The Blue and Whites ran in a further five tries to blitz the Roosters, which included a double to centre Hamish Wilson.

The Bulldogs will host fierce rivals the Parramatta Eels at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Affiliate club the Kaiviti Silktails fought hard but were defeated 24-4 by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation on Sunday afternoon.

The travelling Silktails conceded the first try but held their opponents to just an eight-point difference at the break, and closed the difference when winger Mikaele Senibua crossed in the 47th minute.

While they fought valiantly, from then on it was one-way traffic as their opponents crossed for three more tries, leaving the final scoreline at 24-4. 

The Silktails will now turn their attention to the South Sydney Rabbitohs when they kick off their Round 10 match at Redfern Oval at 1:00pm on Saturday afternoon.

Ron Massey Cup: Bulldogs 16 def by Workers 36

A second half to forget consigned the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs to a 36-16 loss at the hands of the Blacktown Workers on Sunday afternoon at HE Laybutt Field. 

After scoring the first try through Maila Setu just five minutes in, the Bulldogs set themselves up to a solid lead at the break, going ahead 16-12 with further tries to Patrick Carey and Taj Hughes.

However the second half belonged to Blacktown, who went on to score five unanswered tries and claim the match in the 70th minute with their seventh try. 

The Bulldogs will now travel to Ringrose Park to face the Wentworthville Magpies this Sunday afternoon for their Round 8 clash.