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The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have started their 2016 campaign on a high with a massive 22-point win over the Manly Sea Eagles.
The home side were on the backfoot as soon as the first ball was kicked conceding two early trys with Sam Perrett scoring off an overlap before Will Hopoate put down a Josh Reynolds grubber.
Manly were lucky not to concede another as Tony Williams was found to impede play denying Curtis Rona a try however, the Sea Eagles couldn’t hold the ‘Dogs out for long with Sam Kasiano going over in front of the sticks just moments after.
Josh Morris bagged a century of trys to put the Bulldogs in front by 22 points at the break with both Steve Matai and Martin Taupau going on report.
The second half started slowly with no scores until Jorge Taufua scored a miracle try in the 64th minute.
Curtis Rona scored for the Bulldogs just ten minutes later with Moses Mbye then kicking a penalty goal to give Canterbury a massive leg-up with a big win over the Silvertails.
The Bulldogs’ halves of Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye were both very impressive while Michael Lichaa, Aiden Tolman and James Graham were also strong.
Manly will get a chance at redemption next week when they head across town to Leichhardt Oval where they take on the Wests Tigers in Monday night football. The Bulldogs have a six-day turnaround, with Des Hasler’s team required to play the Penrith Panthers at Pepper Stadium on Thursday night.
Final score
Manly Sea Eagles 6
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 28
Round 1 of the NRL continues when the Canterbury Bulldogs head to Brookvale Oval to take on fierce rivals the Manly Sea Eagles. Join The Roar from 7:45pm (AEDT) for live coverage.
The Sea Eagles have undergone huge changes over the off-season, with coach Trent Barrett arriving at the club, alongside a host of new players including Dylan Walker, Nate Myles, Martin Taupau, Lewis Brown, Apisai Koroisau and Matt Parcell.
Walker will make his debut for the Silvertails alongside Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves, with the former South Sydney premiership winner to shoulder much greater responsibility at his new club.
Nathan Green, who arrives from the St George Illawarra Dragons, will appear in the back row, faced with a huge task making the switch from centre.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler will face a hostile reception from fans of the team where he spent 19 years both as a player and coach.
The Bulldogs’ dominant front-row rotation features internationals Josh Jackson, James Graham, Sam Kasiano and Greg Eastwood, but they must adjust to the interchange reduction introduced over the off-season. No David Klemmer won’t make this any easier.
Brett Morris is also out injured, meaning Chase Stanley will appear in the starting team following a strong pre-season, with 21-year old Adam Elliott likely to make his NRL debut.
But the Belmore club’s game is really in the hands of halves Moses Mbye and Josh Reynolds, who no longer have the experience of Trent Hodkinson to fall back on.
The Sea Eagles were unable to get a win over the Dogs in 2015, with Dessie’s men winning 16-12 at Brookvale Oval in Round 3, and 28-16 at ANZ Stadium four weeks later.
Prediction
Sea Eagles by 4.
Join The Roar from 7:45pm (AEDT) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
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