The intricacies of the video referee have halted Canterbury’s bid for the NRL top four as Gold Coast moved into finals reckoning with a 26-16 upset at ANZ Stadium.
A Kevin Gordon hat-trick helped the Titans secure just their second win from the past six games to leap ahead of Canberra into eighth spot on the ladder, the Bulldogs now trailing fourth-placed Melbourne by five points with four rounds remaining.
The home side was left to rue a controversial video referee ruling when Josh Reynolds was denied a try in the 52nd minute which would have given the Bulldogs their first lead.
The on-field officials ruled no-try as they sent it upstairs, and despite replays indicating the ball hitting Jamie Dowling’s head and not Josh Jackson’s hand, the original decision was upheld due to insufficient evidence.
The impact of the call was exacerbated when David Mead crossed off a delicate inside ball from Luke O’Dwyer four minutes later to give the Titans an 18-10 lead.
Reynolds did eventually get his try off a Krisnan Inu offload seven minutes from fulltime to set up a thrilling finish but the comeback was over when Greg Bird managed to get a pass away with four defenders on him to set up Gordon’s third in the dying stages.
Gordon scored his first two tries inside the opening 20 minutes, the second an acrobatic effort around the corner post, with Sam Perrett’s reply the Bulldogs’ only joy of a half littered with 16 penalties.
Man mountain Tony Williams was cut down just short of the line when a try seemed certain, while Trent Hodkinson did what his much bigger opponent could not as he weaved his way over from close range.
The Bulldogs could have tied it up at 12-all only for Krisnan Inu to miss a simple conversion, with Hodkinson inexplicably relieved of his kicking duties.
While frustrated at the number of penalties, Bulldogs coach Des Hasler refused to blame the whistle blowers or the men in the video box for the result.
“It was very disappointing. We didn’t help our own cause – we certainly helped theirs,” Hasler said.
“There were a number of times we had the game and were unable to go on with it.
“It was our opportunity to get away from that congestion (in the eight). We’ve got a tough fortnight ahead of us now.”
They are likely to be without Sam Kasiano for that stretch at least, the big front-rower to have scans on a knee injury on Tuesday.
The Titans joined the congestion, and despite a nightmare run home which finishes with games against the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne, are now determined to finish the job.
“The eight’s always there, and you can’t say that you’re not looking at it – if your team’s not playing well the reality is there’s not much point thinking about the eight,” Cartwright said.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel now … we’ve worked our way back into the eight and we certainly want to stay there.”
oikee
Guest
Cherry Evans wont be around to bail you out, he be mioving to the second Brisbane team. Lyons and Matai along with all the rest of your pensioners will all be retiring. Enjoy your Sunday crush, that is the only icecream Manly be enjoying in 3 years time. You be bottom dwellers, where you belong. Time Manly were punished not rewarded for stealing NZ and Qld Juniors.
The Koomz
Guest
Too much milking, players laying down waiting for penalties. The game really is goin soft! Mead is a better FB than Zillman.
V.O.R.
Guest
I agree with you and oikee. If we are talking about pestering referees and trying to take the momentum away from the attacking team then Ennis, Farah, Lyon and Gallen are all from the same mold. Perpetual whingers. It is a bad look for the game. Really embarrasing. Don't know how it has crept in...verging on bad sportsmanship and no example to the young ones. Hyper competitiveness gone too far. Say what you want about Cameron Smith but the bloke is a true Captain in the example he sets for his fellow players and with the way in which he interacts with referees. The others could learn.
des' right hand
Guest
We will be crushing manly In the near future.... You have lost your mind boy. Are you on some new exotic drug. How do you condure up such dribble such nothingness? Abbott? Strawberry sundaes? I suppose watching the broncos lose all year has warped your fragile little mind and I guess hodges (and your slim but pointless finals hopes) injury was the last straw. Enjoy watching mighty manly win the premiership again
des' right hand
Guest
Upset to who? I knew titans would win even with the refs constantly helping the dogs out of there end of the park. Ennis has reached a new level of annoying I did however enjoy his truthful gutfull spray at the ref 'you blokes are ruining the game, penaltyathon' haha but no suprise the titans won. Too bad des, your legacy may be forever tarnished but we will take you back.. we need a new water boy
des' right hand
Guest
Oikee your an egg mate
Meesta Cool
Guest
That was the WORST display of whingeing that I have witnessed for years, I agree with Oiks, something has to be done about the perpetual ear bashers that are doing nothing for the game, merely giving their team time to get into position and influencing the ref to believe that he is being unfair to their team.. the scary thing is that it seems to work!. During each Doggies attack last night Meesta Ennis looked like he was doing his own version of the chicken dance, or praying for divine help from the Rugby Gods'. His arms were in the even more than Robbie Farah at his best.. Yeah, lets put a stop to this tactic it is a blight on our game. In reality the reffing was fair last night, both teams niggled and slowed down play, what can the ref do but penalise them?. More than one sentence to the ref from any player should incur a ten metre penalty whilst , as many complaints that Ennis made should go on report and be dealt with by an adjudication panel, If the whingeing was uncalled for, a suspension should be slapped on him and the club fined!. (IT IS part of their game plan)!.
liatrevlis
Guest
The likeness between you and Ennis is freakish , go check , in ya bathroom , you do have mirrors ? don't you
liatrevlis
Guest
Mr Abbott is a Manly fan , aaaaaaa ha ha ha , and Albo promised us 20 mill for Brookie , no flys at Brookie , the maggots are at Lang Park ,, aaaaaaa ha ha ha
oikee
Guest
Something needs to be done with Ennis holding up the game every penalty and whinging like Manly, a trait Des must have brought from whinging Manly as seen also with Lyons holding up the play. When are fines going to be introduced, surely enough is enough. Even my wife walked away last night, and she is a neutral fan. Here is what she said this morning, that was the slowest most boring game i have ever witnessed, and that Ennis bloke needs to pull his head in and stop whinging every penalty. I said what do you expect, his coach is from Manly. This code is going to the dogs, you only have to look at the guy above to see we are scrapping the bottom of the barrell.
oikee
Guest
I run into Peter Wallace and Jack Reed at the EKKA. And your next Prime Minister was their as well, and his daughters. Tony Abbott eating our lovely Strawberry sundaes. He told me Manly wont be getting any funding to build anything, as the council want them out. His words not mine. I will be seeing him again next Year in Brisbane, when a second team is announced and he will be at the G20 meeting along with Barrack Obama and the other world leaders. Meanwhile you will keep your head buried in Manly sand on your little patch of turf. You wont stop the Major cities, we will go on with or without you. Holding back the country is no longer a option, Brisbane is not waiting for you or little Manly. We will be crushing Manly in the near future, not with only one team, but two, packed full of superstars. Hehe.
The eye
Guest
That was a very tenacious win by the Titans ,certainly surprised me with their determination to overcome a very aggressive Ennis led pack.Dogs don't have enough firepower without Barba,to state the bleeding obvious,the backline has been exposed as pretty darn ordinary and if Kasiano's gone so is their season.
liatrevlis
Guest
Please go back to ekka or what ever it is you called it , honestly your a drop kick and it was soooooo peaceful , meaningful without your ]%^*+#?~£€~\# views, you need to just wake up to the fact your team is just rubbish and that the NRL is a GREAT COMP , with or with out you
oikee
Guest
The Bulldogs have adopted slow hold down 3 in the tackle boring footy. The Titans said YES, we can accommendate you and apply the same boring slow down tactics and tough footy and spanked the dogs in a show of defiance and never say die footy. Anyone who wants to watch this future of big men who lay and grapple and use 3 men in every tackle while holding and trying to turtle every player at every tackle,,, anyone who wishes to watch that again will see a game in which the Titans could not get through a set of six tackles after kicking the ball because the refs wanted to blow the whistle. Go watch it again, to prove my case, and it is what i keep saying. The refs cant wait to try to penalise teams from outside Sydney out of the contest, they cant wait to try and kill the contest. Every time the dogs got the ball in their 20 metres the refs blew a penalty, every time, not once here or their , but every time. And for little to no reason, i cant even fathom the reason they gave because the dogs were holding down the Titans in every tackle. Something has to change or the game might as well go back to state football. Penalising teams from outside Sydney is becoming a major fact os why the code is going backwards fast. People are walking away in their millions because refs are killing the contest for them, the Titans refused to buckle and stopped the rot, no thanks to the refs who could not get through a set a six without penalising the Titans.