Report: Bulldogs attack misfires again as Cowboys run riot
It was only three weeks ago that Canterbury stood up and made the rest of the NRL take notice, knocking off competition leaders Penrith.
It certainly seems a lot longer ago than that.
The Bulldogs’ season is in danger of slipping away from them after a third straight loss, a 28-12 defeat against the in-form North Queensland Cowboys at Accor Stadium.
The result gave the discarded Reed Mahoney the last laugh over his former team and leaves Cameron Ciraldo and his side continuing to search for answers.
The match was a dogfight until the Cowboys broke clear late on but Canterbury’s shortcomings in attack again came back to bite them.
Lachlan Galvin scored one of their only two tries, throwing a dummy to dash over the line for the fourth time in five starts.
The blame couldn’t be cast on him more than anyone else on Friday night but while the Bulldogs are unable to be clinical enough, questions about whether he is a halfback will go on.
“Obviously, we’re a bit down on confidence with our attack at the moment. That happens at times and there’s a lot of commentary about that,” Ciraldo said.
He said the Bulldogs “need to make sure that we listen to the voices within our four walls and not everyone else” but conceded they had to be better when they got their chances.
Canterbury’s evening was further soured by a torn bicep sustained by Jake Turpin.
“Not much is going right for us at the moment,” Ciraldo said. “But I know we’ve got the people in the club and in the team to turn this around. We’ve just got to hang tough and stay connected and our luck will turn.”
The last time these two sets of players had been in such close proximity was inside a Las Vegas resort nightclub in early March, when Mahoney and Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya reportedly traded verbal barbs.
Back then Canterbury were being cast as title contenders while Todd Payten was being positioned as the first NRL coach to lose his job this year after dropping their opening game to Newcastle at Allegiant Stadium.
How the tables have turned since then. The Cowboys are still holding out on a new deal for Payten but after six wins in seven outings now his case is becoming compelling.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are sliding further off the pace.
Losses against depleted Parramatta and Brisbane teams were deflating and this left a similar feeling for supporters, who began to stream out of the Olympic stadium in the final minutes of the game as two late tries sealed the deal for the Cowboys.
The match was still in the balance until Cowboys centre Tom Chester burst into space with 14 minutes left, finding St George Illawarra-bound fullback Scott Drinkwater on his inside to cross for the second try of the night.
“It was very disappointing the way we finished. To let in three soft tries is not good enough,” Ciraldo said. “We’re in a bit of a spot at the moment. Clearly we’re a bit low on confidence and we need to remember there was a lot of good stuff in that first 60 minutes.”
While the Bulldogs must pick themselves up before next Thursday’s match against the Dolphins in Brisbane, it was a fitting way for veteran Jason Taumalolo to mark equalling Jonathan Thurston as North Queensland’s most capped player.
The only downside for the Cowboys was another shoulder injury which cut short the evening of forward Jeremiah Nanai.
He had returned to action only a week earlier after recovering from an operation to the same shoulder in the off-season.
“He’s going to get a scan,” Payten said. “It’s really disappointing for him, he’s worked super hard. We’ll just see how it goes. It’s not great.”
Nanai’s latest injury shapes as a blow for Queensland in the upcoming State of Origin series.
Canterbury have big problems of their own.
Stats snapshot: Cowboys too dangerous for no-frills Bulldogs
Watch: Chester sets up best try of the match
TRY: Burns caps great night for Cowboys
The Cowboys are really rubbing it in now. Braidon Burns goes into dummy half a few metres from the tryline, near the right sideline, dummies a pass and runs to the blindside. He beats Jonathan Sua at marker and Bronson Xerri in the defensive line to score in the corner.
North Queensland had to tackle their hearts out, especially in the first half, but have been a far better in attack than the Bulldogs and finish with a comfortable victory.
Adding insult to injury, Sua is placed on report in the final seconds.
Full-time: Cowboys win 28-12
TRY: Mahoney sets up Clifford for the likely match-winner
Another big run and offload from Jason Taumalolo sets up a long-range attacking raid for the Cowboys, Zac Laybutt finding space out wide on the left and running clear. As the defence closes in the winger sends a left-foot kick back inside and into the waiting arms of Reed Mahoney – who drops it.
But Mahoney redeems himself quickly, delivering a big tackle on Dogs prop Leo Thompson who spills the ball 20 metres from his own line.
On the last tackle Mahoney tries a grubber, it’s blocked by the Bulldogs defence, but Mahoney picks it up and pops a pass for Jake Clifford to score. That’ll do it.
Cowboys 24, Bulldogs 12 with four minutes left
Big Crichton tackle keeps Bulldogs in it
Pressure time now for the Bulldogs. Scott Drinkwater puts up a bomb, Jake Clifford and Enari Tuala go up for it, it appears Clifford propels the ball backwards but the referee rules it’s a knock on by Tuala. The Bulldogs have already used and lost their captain’s challenge, so it’s scrum Cowboys within striking distance.
But a big tackle from Stephen Crichton on Tom Dearden forces a rash pass and a Scott Drinkwater knock on, and the Bulldogs survive. Can they find another try inside the final 10 minutes?
Cowboys 18, Bulldogs 12 with nine minutes left
TRY: Chester bursts clear to set up Drinkwater
The Cowboys produce something out of nothing, a Jason Taumalolo offload giving Tom Chester the ball with a staggered Bulldogs defensive line ahead of him. The speedy centre spots a gap and hits it, bursting clear down the right and turning a pass inside for Scott Drinkwater to score his second try of the night.
North Queensland haven’t been at their best but their attacking strike power has given them the edge so far.
Cowboys 18, Bulldogs 12 with 13 minutes left
Sua denies Burns with try-saver in the corner
Now we’re getting some action. The Cowboys quickly get down the other end of the field, and Tom Chester does well to create some space for Braidon Burns on the right. The winger zeroes in on the tryline but rookie Bulldog Jonathan Sua makes up for his error a minute ago with a terrific tackle to drag Burns over the sideline.
A minute later Sua pops up again to regather a loose ball and earn a new set of six inside Cowboys territory, and the game is starting to open up here. The Accor Stadium crowd is lifting as well. Lachie Galvin’s grubber traps Scott Drinkwater in-goal and it’s another dropout.
But the Cowboys go short and regather possession, and we’re still all square here.
Bulldogs 12, Cowboys 12
Bulldogs denied by bunker after last-tackle chaos
Wild stuff now as a last-tackle Matt Burton bomb ricochets off a goal post, and it’s chaos – the ball finds rookie Bulldogs winger Jonathan Sua, who gets a sloppy offload away, Lachie Galvin grubbers it ahead off the turf, and he touches it down over the tryline, but does he get to it first? The bunker has a lot to look at here…
The bunker rules Sua has knocked it on while offloading and it’s a no try. Bit of a lapse there from the youngster, who could probably have laid on a try with a simple pass.
Bulldogs 12, Cowboys 12 with 22 minutes left
TRY: Curran levels things up as Nanai ruled out
Tom Dearden forces a Bulldogs dropout and the Cowboys go on the attack again, but Stephen Crichton leaps well to defuse Scott Drinkwater’s last-tackle bomb.
Meanwhile the news from the sheds is that Jeremiah Nanai has suffered a shoulder injury and is out of the contest, and could be out of Origin too if it’s a serious problem. Nanai had already missed the opening seven rounds this season.
Now it’s the Bulldogs’ time to attack again – and, at long last, they find a way to score once more. Lachlan Galvin bombs, Zac Laybutt spills it, and the ball falls to Josh Curran who scores a simple one.
Bulldogs 12, Cowboys 12 with 26 minutes left
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
