The result itself may be a surprise to some but you do have to praise the Dogs side for their recent resurgence and grittiness when it counts, as a field goal to Josh Reynolds – his first ever – proved the difference, leading the Canterbury Bulldogs to a 9-8 win over the Sydney Roosters.
It was a tough, hard and bruising game, with the weather playing a factor in the overall conditions and ultimately, on the game itself.
The dogged affair had dropped balls and inconsistencies and both sides had areas to be pleased with, just as they had areas to be critical of.
With not a lot of points scored, the teams had to ultimately rely on defence and across the board, both sides defended well – as they both conceded just the one try each.
Chase Stanley and Michael Jennings were the scorers for their respective teams and although both sides went close to scoring on other occasions, defence was the flavour of the game and they were held out.
For the Bulldogs – and for the man of the hour – their two losses are still stinging, though Reynolds and his team-mates are working on facets of their game to improve as a side.
“We’re probably still a bit disappointed – tonight’s a massive game for us – we really think we should’ve [had a] 100 per cent [record], due to losing that game on the buzzer at Penrith and we could’ve had Brisbane,” Reynolds said.
“But we’re working on plenty of things and the boys have got a really positive attitude now and we can take a lot out of these grinding games, they’re better than winning 40-odd nil.”
Coach Des Hasler echoed these sentiments, highlighting the the gritty wins are often some of the best and that their confidence moving forward is a crucial aspect.
“We probably let ourselves down a little bit couple of weeks prior, when we had the game in the bag at Penrith but it was really important for us to pick up those points,” said Hasler.
“It was a pretty tough game, those games always are. I think the best thing for us was to back up last week’s effort with another win tonight. The Roosters are probably a bit off at this early stage of the season but grabbing the points is what matters.
“They are a very tough side the Roosters so we’ll take a bit of confidence out of it.”
Although his side were not able to get the win, Roosters coach Trent Robinson did praise his side for their grittiness and fight shown during the game.
“I was proud to see the guys go toe-to-toe again this week,” said Robinson.
“It’s just not quite good enough again. Dogs played smart footy and they got the result.”
Roosters prop Sam Moa shared the sentiments of his coach as he praised the effort of the players but knows that it obviously was not enough.
“Yeah, what can you say? The effort was obviously there but it was not enough to come away with the two points,” said Moa.
“We’re just lacking that killer punch towards the end of our attacking sets.”
3. Josh Reynolds
2. Dale Finucane
1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck