A clinical and composed Bulldogs outfit have beaten a spirited Canberra Raiders side 30-18 last night at Scully Park.
Due to a weight of possession, and a kicking clinic in Trent Hodkinson, the Bulldogs quickly raced out to a comfortable 18-0 lead.
It was winger Bryson Goodwin who got on the scoresheet first, before he turned provider, after batting down a Kris Keating kick for his inside man, Brett Morris to score.
The Bulldogs quickly re-asserted their dominance after the break, with Kris Keating crossing the line himself, with the result seemingly settled.
The young Raiders side refused to give in however, and tries to Sam Williams and Nathan Massey reduced the deficit to 12.
Another try to Brett Morris courtesy of a Ben Roberts pass put the game beyond all doubt, and the Bulldogs eased to victory.
Kevin Moore, Bulldogs coach, was pleased with the composure that his side showed in the game.
“Our control was really good,” Moore said.
“I can only remember a couple of errors in the first half so we probably completed something like 18 of 20 sets.
“We were very solid.
“We still have a few things to work on from the back end of the game but overall I was very happy.”
For Raiders coach David Furner, he believes that his side were sharper and more alert in the second half, and is hoping that his crop of inexperienced players can slowly get better over the course of the season.
“But we were sharper in the second half,” he said.
“We still competed in the first half.
“They have some good blokes on the edges like Bryson Goodwin and Morris and Steve Turner and they’re experienced.”
Another downside for the Raiders, is a suspected rib injury to second-rower Joe Picker.