A brave Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs outfit have been defeated 44-nil to the Brisbane Broncos at Totally Workwear Stadium in Brisbane.
While the scoresheet read for a tough afternoon, it was a wholehearted effort in both attack and defence for the Bulldogs.
Exemplified by a number of try-saving tackles and efforts across the park that saw the Broncos held to two tries at the break, the Bulldogs failed to give up across the entire 70 minutes, highlighted by a 50-metre break from Co-Captain Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.
Match: Broncos v Bulldogs
Round 9 -
home Team
Broncos
2nd Position
away Team
Bulldogs
11th Position
Venue: Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane
There was plenty of action in the opening exchanges, with both sides punching through the line on a sunny and dry track with Monica Tagoai and Simina Lokotui proving to be a handful for the defence.
However, the Broncos jumped out to a 6-nil lead after Hayley Maddick crossed in the corner.
The Bulldogs came oh so close on their next opportunity, with a fifth tackle kick from Tayla Preston finding multiple hands before late starter Ma'atuleio Fotu-Moala was stopped just short of the line.
While an error saw the Bulldogs defending their line soon after, the rushing defence converged to prevent Keilee Joseph from crossing whilst forcing an error in the process.
Ash Quinlan used her quick reflexes to diffuse a threatening grubber, before Moana Courtenay put a crunching shot on Kerri Johnson that resonated across the stadium.
An error 20 out gave the Blue and Whites the perfect opportunity to strike, falling just short of the line. Unfortunately, soon after Tamika Upton touched down under the posts to extend the lead for the Broncos, 12-nil.
As the home side looked to continue their momentum, the defensive fortitude and commitment from the Blue and White continued to shine; Andie Robinson took down a charging Bronco, Alexis Tauaneai scrambled to diffuse a grubber and Elizabeth MacGregor forced an error with a crunching tackle.
Tauaneai and Teakaraanga-Katoa continued to threaten, and despite one last opportunity in the dying stages, the scoreboard remained 12-nil as both sides headed to the sheds after a hard-fought first half.
Unfortunately it was the Broncos extending the lead via Julia Robinson, with the Bulldogs staring down a 16-nil mountain to climb, before a penalty opened the gate for Brisbane to score once more, with Upton going over.
The momentum continued with the Broncos running in a further six tries, however the effort from the Bulldogs never wavered, despite the final scoreline.
In Round 10, the Bulldogs will host their final match of the season at Accor Stadium against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in a double header alongside the NRL side on Saturday, September 6.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 0 def Brisbane Broncos 44 (Tamika Upton 4, Hayley Maddick, Julia Robinson, Kerri Johnson, Keilee Davis, Gayle Broughton tries; Romy Teitzel 4 goals)
