Academy Wrap Round 9: Tough Week Ahead of Finals

The Lisa Fiaola Cup side succumbed to their first defeat of the season, going down to Minor Premiers Parramatta 34-8 at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence.

The home side ran out of the blocks, with a lone try to Emacyn Ieremia giving the Bulldogs a glimmer of hope at half-time, trailing 26-4.

However, a sin-binning right after the break gave Parramatta the chance to strike again, with a try to Shakira Lui in the dying stages giving the Bulldogs their second try. 

Head Coach Vanessa Foliaki was frank in her assessment of the match. 

"We got taught a lesson by Parramatta, we made too many errors and missed tackles that cost us the game," Foliaki said.

"Credit to the Eels, they were outstanding and set the benchmark for the competition. That's the level that is required, especially as we head into finals." 

Harold Matthews Cup: Bulldogs 4 def by Eels 26

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Harold Matthews Cup side, with their season ending in a 26-4 defeat to the Parramatta Eels at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence.

Needing a victory to claim a finals berth, the Bulldogs found themselves down early on after two quick tries to the hosts, however a four-pointer to Jaedyn Tuigamala-Nicholas in the 25th minute closed the deficit. 

Unfortunately it was the Eels who touched down once more before the break to take a 16-4 lead, with that extending into the second half with a further two tries to seal the result. 

Head Coach Mark O'Meley was proud of his side's effort throughout the season. 

"We came up against Parramatta in a must-win match to keep our season alive. Although we went down, the scoreline probably doesn't reflect the effort the boys put in," he said.

"It was a gutsy, gritty performance. We created opportunities and built pressure at different stages of the game, but just couldn't convert that into points when it mattered.

"Our theme for the week was 'trust' - trusting the process, the system and principles we've been building around all season. While the result didn't go our way, I believe the lessons from this week will help these kids keep climbing the chain in their footy." 

Tarsha Gale Cup: Bulldogs 22 def Eels 24

Just two points separated the Bulldogs and Eels in their top four clash in the Tarsha Gale Cup, with the home side taking home the two points, 24-22.

Played at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence, the Bulldogs put in a strong opening shift to take a 22-6 lead at the break with tries to Giovanna Suani, Riley Fruean-Otineru, Leteena Medland and Levonah Motuliki. 

However, the hosts swung momentum in the second half, taking advantage of a sin bin in the 58th minute to cross late for the match-winner in heartbreaking circumstances. 

Head Coach Charlotte Henry praised her side's first half performance, citing the second half as an important lesson for the side heading into finals. 

"The girls definitely showed up to play with a dominant first half, the best footy we have played all season with flawless execution," she said. 

"However, in the second half, we came away with our greatest lessons of the year: the importance of staying disciplined when momentum is shifting and playing to the final whistle.

"We're proud of the players, and we'll reset and go again this week."

SG Ball Cup: Bulldogs 6 def by Eels 31

Despite going down 31-6 to the Parramatta Eels at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence, the Bulldogs have claimed a spot in the SG Ball Cup finals. 

It was a brave first-half performance from the Blue and White, keeping their opponents to just two converted tries as they trailed 12-nil at the break.  

While the Eels crossed immediately in the second stanza, it was the Bulldogs who got on the board through Elsiyah Laumatia to bring them back into the contest.

However, the hosts ran away with a further two tries to seal the result. 

Head Coach Steve Turner was proud of the effort from his side. 

"It was a tough result for us against a good Eels side," he said. 

"We didn't execute consistently enough, particularly with ball control and discipline, which made it hard to build pressure. But there's still plenty of effor areas we're proud of."