Senior Pathways Wrap Round 20: Dogs Pile on Points Against Manly

It was all Bulldogs in the opening 10 minutes, with two rapid-fire tries setting the tone. Luke Smith crossed first, finishing off a slick right-edge play that saw Sexton fire a cut-out pass to Blake Wilson, who raced down the sideline before offloading inside to Smith. Logan Spinks backed it up in the next set, capitalising on a Taniela Otukolo line-break to score out wide.

Manly hit back against the run of play when Joey Walsh grubbered in behind the line, regathered the loose ball himself and dived over to reduce the deficit to eight.

But the Bulldogs quickly reasserted control. Sam Hughes burst through a gap and found Woods in support, who ran away to score another long-range try. Woods turned provider moments later with a brilliant last-tackle play – grubbering for himself before offloading to Cassius Tia, who beat the fullback to touch down in the corner.

The halves combo continued to shine. Woods set up Spinks’ second try with a towering bomb that the forward plucked out of the air, and Sexton was flawless off the tee, nailing all five conversions to send the Dogs into the sheds with a commanding 30-4 lead.

The second half started slower, but Sexton sparked things again with a pinpoint 40/20. From there, Woods linked up with Tia for the second time, threading a grubber in behind Manly’s line for the centre to score a double.

Manly responded with a successful short kick-off – Esera Chee Kam scoring in the corner from a slick right-side shift. They went back-to-back when a one-on-one strip saw Joey Walsh break through before offloading to Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega, who muscled his way over. Brandon Wakeham converted one of the two, narrowing the gap to 36-14 with under 20 minutes to play.

The Sea Eagles appeared to claw back momentum with a third unanswered try – Clayton Faulalo slicing through a broken defensive line after receiving a sharp offload from Semisi Kioa to bring his side within 16.

But an error in the set after points undid the visitors’ momentum, and Canterbury-Bankstown capitalised instantly – sweeping left for Jonathan Sua to stroll over untouched, pushing the lead to 42-20. Manly tried the short kick-off again but it backfired, with Sexton chipping ahead for Luke Smith to score his second. Sexton missed for the first time all afternoon, but the result was well beyond doubt.

Blake Wilson then added his name to the scoresheet late, scooping up a Manly error and sprinting away to score near the posts, before another failed short kick-off gave the Bulldogs a final crack – which they didn’t waste. Mitchell Woods produced one last classy touch, setting up Taye Cochrane off the boot for the Dogs' 10th try. In a surprise move, Sam Hughes stepped up to take the final conversion and nailed it, sealing a dominant 58-20 win.

Talking Points

• The Bulldogs looked like a completely different outfit from the one thumped by the Bears last week. Led by a masterclass from halves Sexton and Woods, everything they touched turned to gold – kicking 40/20s, creating line-breaks, laying on tries, and dominating field position with precision kicking.
• Canterbury-Bankstown's middle forwards laid the platform with relentless physicality. Experienced NRL forwards Samuel Hughes, Daniel Suluka-Fifita, and Kurtis Morrin were simply too much for Manly to handle.
• Manly showed glimpses of their attacking potential in the second half, but slow starts continue to be their Achilles’ heel.

Key Moment

In a game dominated by Canterbury-Bankstown, the third Bulldogs try – scored in response to Manly’s first – set the tone for what followed. Sam Hughes bulldozed through the middle with a powerful run before offloading to the classy Mitchell Woods, who finished it off.

What's Next?

The Bulldogs return to Belmore next week as they aim to keep the momentum rolling against archrivals the Sydney Roosters. Meanwhile, Manly’s tough run continues with a clash against the Penrith Panthers at CommBank Stadium.

HNWP: Bulldogs 10 def Dragons 6

The Bulldogs' Harvey Norman Women's Premiership side ground out a second consecutive victory, defeating the St George Dragons 10-6 at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence on Monday night.

In a tight contest, it was the Bulldogs' NRLW contingent that got on the board, with youngster Elizabeth MacGregor touching down in the 16th minute. 

St George struck back soon after, however it was powerhouse Ma'atuleio Fotu-Moala going over in the 28th minute to put the Bulldogs in front.

That proved to be the final score of the match, with neither side able to breach the try line in another close contest - with the Blue and White coming home with the two competition points.

In Round 4, the Bulldogs will travel to Woy Woy to face the Central Coast Roosters on Sunday afternoon. 

Jersey Flegg Cup: Bulldogs 36 def Sea Eagles 16, Silktails 14 def by Knights 58

It was a big win for the Bulldogs in the Jersey Flegg Cup, downing the Sea Eagles 36-16 at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon.

The young pups were on fire in the first half, with tries to Jope Rauqe, Alekolasimi Jones, William Afualo and Sosaia Kaufusi leading to a 20-6 scoreline at the break.

Three more tries after the sides returned from the sheds saw the lead extend to 30 points, with Joseph Teaupa, Chase Paterson and Latrell Fing adding their names to the scoresheet.

Two consolation tries to the visitors failed to make any difference as the Bulldogs ran away with a dominant win at home. 

Meanwhile the Kaiviti Silktails were defeated comprehensively by the Newcastle Knights on Sunday afternoon in Newcastle.

After the hosts struck first, the Silktails returned serve through Tevita Mataiwai, however it was all Newcastle after the fifteenth minute, with a 28-4 mountain to climb at the break.

The hosts continued their momentum in the second half, with a further five tries putting the result in doubt, with Mataiwai scoring again before Melikiseteki Nacaginimasei scored in the dying stages.  

The Jersey Flegg Cup will undergo a competition-wide bye in Round 21, with the Bulldogs hosting the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Round 22 and the . 

Ron Massey Cup: Bulldogs 16 def by Hawks 28

The Bulldogs succumbed to the Ryde-Eastwood Hawks in their Round 16 Ron Massey Cup match at Hammondville Oval on Sunday afternoon. 

The Blue and White found themselves trailing early after the visitors struck twice in the first fifteen minutes, and while a try to Zyon Maiu'u closed the deficit, another four-pointer from the Hawks saw the difference go to ten at the break. 

Both sides went tit for tat in the second stanza, with Jordi Mazzone touching down for a trademark try in the 57th minute, before halfback Mac Puafisi gave the side a glimmer of hope with eight minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later the Hawks struck back to bring the difference to two converted tries, with the Bulldogs unable to level by full-time. 

In Round 17, the Bulldogs head west on Saturday night to face St Marys.