The Dragons may be winning the battle at the moment, but the Bulldogs performance against the Cowboys shows they are the team capable of winning the premiership war at the end of the season.
Literally beaten to a pulp in the first half, the Bulldogs managed to land the most decisive blows against a Cowboys side that dominated every facet of the game in the opening forty minutes.
Cowboys forwards Carl Webb, Shane Tronc, Matthew Scott and Scott Bolton each produced monster first half performances that allowed Johnathon Thurston to dominate and score a brilliant opening try.
On the back of a terrific charge and offload from Webb, Thurston managed to swerve his way through three Bulldogs defenders to score and put the home side six nil up.
Webb’s involvement in that passage play looked to have ominous signs for the Bulldogs, considering the former Maroons back rower has a habit of producing his best form against the Belmore based club.
Indeed Bulldogs prop Jarrad Hickey felt every bit of Webb’s enthusiasm, being on the end of a hit that left the big forward laying lifeless.
It took a five minute delay for medical staff to treat Hickey and send him back to the sheds for further examination.
Now without key forwards Michael Hodgson, Ben Hannant and Jarrad Hickey, the Bulldogs also found themselves under examination against a Cowboys pack that was dominating the contest.
Interchange forwards Brad Morrin and Chris Armit were given the task of leading an under-strength Bulldogs pack that was deprived of its starting front row midway through the first half.
Thankfully for coach Kevin Moore, both Morrin and Armit produced career best performances to guide the Bulldogs to a 22-12 victory, that should have looked forlorn if the Cowboys had taken their chances in the opening forty minutes.
Like a true premiership team however, the Bulldogs managed to take the opportunities presented to them in the second half, thanks to the effort and skill of two unheralded forwards.
Both Morrin and Armit broke the line on numerous occasions, to help their side out-muscle a Cowboys pack that was destroying them forty minutes earlier.
Armit in particular stated his case for a starting spot at the Bulldogs, producing a sublime offload that allowed Hazem El Masri to score a try early in the second half to even the scores.
It was the change in momentum the Bulldogs needed to re-assert their dominance against a Cowboys side that was frustrated into error and ill-discipline.
The effort of Bulldogs lock David Stagg was a key factor to the Cowboys demise.
The Maroons player made 44 tackles and produced 16 hit-ups for 106 metres in a man of the match performance.
Indeed it was a character boosting win for a Bulldogs unit that have once again showed why they are the supreme competitors of the NRL, and the only ones currently capable of wresting Premiership supremacy away from the Dragons.
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