A try with just two minutes remaining brought the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs out of the mire to record a 20-18 victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons at Accor Stadium.
In front of a healthy crowd of 30,115, the Bulldogs came back from the brink of defeat to sink the Dragons with minutes remaining as halfback Lachlan Galvin laid on the match-winning try to rookie Jethro Rinakama.
Captain Stephen Crichton also knocked over a personal points milestone, scoring his 500th first-grade point with his second conversion of the match.
After a knock on in the opening set, Tyrell Sloan looked to have scored the first try of the match, however a Bunker intervention showed his opposite Jethro Rinakama had been taken out in the lead-up.
Match: Bulldogs v Dragons
Round 20 -
home Team
Bulldogs
2nd Position
away Team
Dragons
13th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Just moments later, Jacob Kiraz tip-toed his way over the line to score a memorable four-pointer and give his side an early 4-nil lead, showing tremendous skill to remain inside the field of play.
An error in opposition territory gave the Bulldogs another opportunity to strike, however the Dragons were let off after Fijian powerhouse Viliame Kikau was held up over the line.
Kiraz's Tip-Toe Try
The visitors made sure to take their next opportunity after a Clint Gutherson burst through to put Sloan in, with the ensuing conversion giving them a 6-4 lead.
Jacob Preston got the Accor Stadium crowd roaring after crunching Gutherson just a few sets later, and before long they were in raptures after Crichton broke through to put Galvin in to reclaim the lead.
The skipper slotted the conversion out wide to bring the scoreline to 10-6 with just over fifteen minutes left in the first half.
Galvin Goes in to Score
Crichton went agonisingly close to sending Kiraz over for his second try, only for a bat-back to go forward before the winger could put the ball down.
Rinakama showed poise beyond his years to let a kick sail out on the full, and the Bulldogs were in again through Reed Mahoney, who snuck through the defence to slam the ball down under the posts.
Crichton's conversion gave him his 500th point in the NRL, with the only additional points of the half coming from a Dragons penalty goal after the siren as the Bulldogs' lead remained at 16-8.
Mahoney Marches Over
After a clunky start to the second half saw the Bulldogs defending their line across multiple sets, the weight of possession eventually saw the Dragons take advantage through Moses Suli.
St George Illawarra took full advantage of a penalty on the ensuing set as Sione Finau crossed out wide, with Kyle Flanagan's conversion changing the lead.
Cameron Ciraldo's men continued their push for points, with Kikau denied a second time with a knock-on found before he could touch down as errors cruelled the side.
But with less than five minutes on the clock, it was Galvin who stood up tallest, forcing a line drop out before lining up a scintillating cut-out pass for Rinakama to score in the corner.
The Bulldogs held on to take a short drop out with fifteen seconds left to record their thirteenth victory of 2025 in a Saturday night thriller.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 20 (Jacob Kiraz, Lachlan Galvin, Reed Mahoney, Jethro Rinakama tries; Stephen Crichton 2 goals) def St George Illawarra 18 (Tyrell Sloan, Moses Suli, Sione Finau tries; Kyle Flanagan 2 goals; Kyle Flanagan penalty goal)
