The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have gone down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-24 in the annual Good Friday clash.
After a spirited start from both sides in front of 49,813 fans, it was the Rabbitohs who opened up the scoring after Alex Johnston intercepted a pass and ran 80 metres to score.
The Bulldogs hit back to level scores after Enari Tuala and Marcelo Montoya combined down the right edge before the powerhouse Fijian winger showed great strength to beat two players and score in the corner.
A Tallis Duncan linebreak put Souths into prime field position and they struck again with Latrell Mitchell pouncing on a Cody Walker chip-kick. Mitchell missed the conversion, but was able to add another two to the score four minutes later with a penalty goal.
Cameron Ciraldo’s men levelled scores once again thanks to Lachlan Galvin, who scored off his own grubber, before Captain Stephen Crichton added the extras to take the score to 12-all.
A penalty goal for off-side edged the Bulldogs ahead by two, before they ran in another try to take an 18-12 lead into half time.
It all came off the back of a Johnston knock-on, which was scooped up by Tuala, who looked certain to score only to be chopped down by Jye Gray. Sitili Tupouniua jumped in at dummy-half and then barged over in the corner for his first try of the season.
The Bulldogs’ were hit with major adversity early in the second half when Crichton was taken from the field with a shoulder injury. That loss forced a reshuffle with Matt Burton shifting to left centre, Galvin going to five-eighth and Sean O’Sullivan entering the game at halfback.
South Sydney pounced three minutes later down that very edge that had been disrupted with Gray putting Tallis Duncan over before Mitchell converted to level scores 18-all. The Rabbitohs then broke that gridlock 10 minutes later with Cameron Murray diving on a Jamie Humphreys grubber.
They backed that up with another try, scored by Mitchell, but the Dogs didn’t drop their heads and with one minute left on the clock Jaeman Salmon set up Connor Tracey for a try.
The Bulldogs will now reset and get ready for the Club’s Round 6 Home clash with the Penrith Panthers.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 (Mitchell 2, Johnston, Duncan, Murray tries; Mitchell 6 goals) def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 (Montoya, Galvin, Tupouniua, Tracey tries; Crichton 3, Burton 1 goals)
