NSW five-eighth Josh Reynolds lashed out with an extraordinary trip on former teammate Ben Barba as Canterbury slumped to their fourth straight NRL loss, a 41-10 thrashing by Brisbane on Friday night.
Reynolds was lucky not to be sent off but his indiscretion, the second time he was put on report in the second half, capped a night to forget for the State of Origin playmaker and the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.
But at the end of a long rap sheet for the five-eighth, he still finished the game in the sheds after being sin-binned for a high tackle on Alex Glenn.
The Broncos, led by Barba and Ben Hunt, punished the mistake-riddled Dogs seven tries to two in front of a highly-appreciative crowd of 28,344.
Desperate to stop the rot after five losses from their past six matches, Brisbane resurrected their finals hopes in style while at the same time delivering a major dent to Canterbury’s top-four claims.
Reynolds’ availability for next Friday’s clash with Parramatta is in grave doubt while Sam Kasiano also suffered a worrying foot injury.
The Broncos’ demolition came as Hunt and Barba produced their best game together as a new playmaking pair, both scoring first-half tries and causing the Bulldogs grief on both sides of the ruck.
Barba has grown in confidence with each appearance at five-eighth but Hunt had lost his form since coach Anthony Griffin was given his notice a fortnight ago.
The halfback was not only sharp with the ball but his defence on the right-edge was top-notch and also pulled off an embarrassing strip on Tony Williams.
Former Bulldogs fullback Barba scored the try of the match on the stroke of halftime for a 20-6 lead.
The Bulldogs played themselves back into the encounter after the break with a Josh Jackson try and then looked set for another.
But Reynolds lashed out with his feet in a tackle near the line that collected Sam Thaiday in the face and resulted in a Brisbane penalty and him placed on report.
It proved a major turning point when Matt Gillett smartly put Corey Oates over soon after.
From there the floodgates opened as Thaiday and Hunt crossed again to seal their biggest win of the season.
Reynolds actually opened the scoring with a flukey two-kick try but Canterbury were their own worst enemies in the first half by completing just 12 of 18 sets and missing four times as many tackles as Brisbane.
cr
Guest
That is GOLD!
WQ
Guest
No chip on my shoulder buddy just a few short sharp home truths for the NSW fans to suck up mate. Clearly a little difficult for the odd NSW fan to swallow!
V.O.R.
Guest
Always good for a laugh. ;)
Danno1
Guest
Thaiday callling Reynolds a grub for kicking him is like Lyndsay Lohan calling Paris Hilton a tart.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Bulldogs fan, slightly reluctantly checking in. Wasn't all that surprised about the result (Broncos at Suncorp has been a game the Bulldogs just don't win in recent years), but the manner of it was disappointing. Bulldogs in general haven't seemed to be playing at their peak since the origin period started and that mix of origin period, injuries, and Ennis not getting another contract that all came in around rounds 11-15 seems to have sucked the life out of the team. On the specific incidents with Reynolds, I think it's a case of Reynolds not having the best emotional control to begin with, it having been somewhat exacerbated by some encouragement he seemed to get during the Origin series and just mounting frustration -- he's been noticeably more ill disciplined in the second half of the season than the last few years, and it goes without saying that it isn't a good thing (especially when he's less defensively reliable with it). Hopefully the suspension he will serve can be a wake up call and a reminder that his strength is actually playing the game rather than trying to get in cheap shots.
chook-a-doodle-do
Guest
And did this "win at all costs and do whatever is necessary "win them origin?I don't recall seeing the blues play dirtier than the Maroons,I do recall the Blues winning two games because they played better,and the Maroons winning one because they played better.Stop your sooking and move on,the chip on your shoulder must be weighing near a ton by now!
Darren
Roar Rookie
No no... that's a long apprenticeship of grubbiness; he is just off the broom. Besides I don't think he has had the required lobotomy yet
djcooper
Roar Guru
No gappy that's not right at all. The league introduced that you had to have hands on the player before throwing them over your leg (ala Langer). Slater gave away a penalty going up for a high ball when his foot struck klemmer and the dogs got the penalty. Not even in the same ball park comparing slater's kick with Reynolds' trip. You're obviously a dogs supporter if you thought the high shot bounced off Glenn's chest because he started high and went around his throat.
Muzz
Guest
imo i don't think Darius is mentally strong enough to play in the halves for a club like the Bronco's.There not going to win the comp in Bennett's first year back so i would go with Hunt and Milford who should be a top tier pairing by the time the Broncos are ripe to win a premiership.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Thanks Guys. Shameless Plug http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/08/09/dear-dave-i-have-fixed-rugby-league-for-you/#tab2
Jay C
Roar Guru
If he keeps it up they might just make him Captain of NSW
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
A bit harsh there Luis, I think. I know what you mean about the past, but guys like Hodkinson, Perrett, Jackson, Tolman and a few others aren't what you'd call 'grubs' in my opinion. Granted, Ennis, yes, but still, let's not tar them all with the same brush.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Rabid chairs are the worst
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Pretty sure Boyd is a certainty for the 5/8th spot. As he probably should be, in my opinion.
fiver
Guest
I don't know. The theatre of Reynolds getting sent off right at the end, the entire Brisbane crowd screaming abuse at him as he walks off, while the broncos run in another try was actually a great ending to the game.
Luis
Guest
Josh Reynolds confirms to me what I thought always about the Bulldogs they are a bunch of mongrel dogs and they do not belong in the NRL.
Muzz
Guest
Would you have Hoffman or Boyd as the Broncos 2015 fullback?
V.O.R.
Guest
Maybe the judiciary will give him the time he needs to get himself together...while he is at it a refresher of the NRL rule book wouldn't hurt as well.
Muzz
Guest
Man he was on tilt last night.After the chair kicking came tears in the sheds.He must be feeling some type of pressure.
V.O.R.
Guest
I like the guys energy but the game can do without the sort of stuff he carry's on with. He's hyper competitive but obviously either lacks commonsense or respect for the game. Tripping used to be one of the worst acts on a footy field. I'm not sure he has a clue to be honest...very irresponsible behaviour considering his pivital role in the team and their fading run into the finals. I'd be interested to see what the Bulldogs fans think of this?