Match Details
Match Date	11th May, 2001
Opponent	Cronulla
Result	Win 20-6
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Darren Britt
Venue	Endeavour Field (Toyota Park)
Crowd	11,218
Referee	Bill Harrigan

It may have been billed as the game of the week, but the Bulldogs v Sharks clash was a pretty one sided affair. Both sides were given their fair share of opportunities, but with only the blue and white Bulldogs turning these into points, eventially running up a score of 20-6.

The Sharks jumped out of the blocks early, dominating in the forwards and making bone crunching tackles. Despite their early enthusiasm, they lacked a spark in attack to get across the line, although Adam Dykes came close. With the ball in hand and unable to kick for the sheer amount of pressure on him, Dykes spotted a hole in the defence and broke through. A try may have eventuated if it weren't for a crunching tackle by Nigel Vagan, which knocked an attempted pass by Dykes forward. The pressure had been let off.

From this point, the Sharks simply lost their momentum and the Bulldogs soon capitalised. A missed tackle saw Glen Hughes find space before sending a short pass to an unmarked Luke Patten who scored beneath the sticks. Hazem el Masri didn't miss with the kick giving the Bulldogs an early 6 point lead.

The Bulldogs didn't let off and were soon back in the fray when an awry mid-field bomb from brith Anasta found touch for a 40/20. The Sharks held on in defence, but the pressure on them was mounting.

It wasn't long before the Bulldogs were back on the scoreboard. Nigel Vagana spotted a hole in the tiring Sharks defences and slipped through for a converted try. This took the score to 12-0 as the halftime hooter sounded.

From the break, it appeared as though the Sharks might make a stunning comeback. The forwards started to lift their game and the defence was as uncompromising as ever. It soon paid off when Luke Stuart crashed over to score the Sharks' first points of the night. Jason Ferris landed the goal, putting the Sharks right back in contention.

Of course, it was not to be. A kick out on the full by Adam Dykes soon had them on the back foot and soon the Bulldogs were back on the scoreboard, courtesy of Shane Marteene. El Masri missed the conversion, but with only twenty minutes remaining in the game, it appeared as though the Bulldogs may have landed the fatal blow.

Ignoring this, Preston Campbell use his magnificent evasive skills to make a huge burst into space. It appeared a try was on the cards until a woeful pass to rookie Brent Grose went to ground, snuffing out the new-found fire in the Sharks.

Soon, the Bulldogs were back to their best, pressing against the Sharks line. Eventually, the ball was grubbered into the in-goal where Colin Best simply needed to knock the ball dead. However, he missed the bal, leaving it wide open for El Masri to score. The conversion was missed, but that was the game.

Both sides had about the same number of tryscoring opportunities, yet it was the exciting attack of the Bulldogs who capitalised on these, leading them to the 14 point win.

The result sees the Bulldogs head to the top of the table, if only for today. The loss for the Sharks means that they may fall as low as eighth, depending on the success of the Northern Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors.

Source: www.rleague.com

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