Match Details
Match Date	15th Jul, 2001
Opponent	Sydney Roosters
Result	Win 34-18
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Darren Britt
Venue	Sydney Showground Homebush
Crowd	12,367
Referee	Tony Archer

Confusion reigned on a perfect winter's afternoon at the Sydney Showground as the Bulldogs legitimised their premiership credentials with an impressive 34-18 victory over the flailing Sydney Roosters.

Following on from a confidence boosting victory over the last placed Penrith Panthers last weekend, the Bulldogs had a point to prove at home in front of their rabid fans. The Roosters, wearing a serious form slump having dropped their previous couple in a very unimpressive fashion, turned out to be nothing more than fodder for the Bulldogs who were ably led by the exciting attacking play of halfback Darrell Trindall.

Having extended his current contract during the week, Trindall set about playing arguably his best game of the season in almost single handedly beating the Roosters. Scoring one try and setting up two others with crafty kicks, he showed the recently re-instated South Sydney club just what they would be missing out on next year.

The afternoon started perfectly for the home side, with giant second-rower Willie Mason and the in-form Hazem El Masri crossing for tries within the first twenty-five minutes. At 12-2 behind, the Roosters hopes appeared to be fading. If not for two clever tries through rookie Todd Byrne and Craig Wing, the scoreline may have been much worse. Contending with a deficient allowance of possession, Sydney never really threatened to take the game up to the Bulldogs. A spectacular try to Bulldogs young gun Braith Anasta on the stroke of halftime set the tone for the remainder of the game.

If there's only one thing remembered about this game, it will be the performance of the video referee in the second half. On the two occasions he was required, Ian Parnaby was forced to adjudicate on two of the most bizarre tries this season.

Leading 28-12, the Bulldogs had to endure a nervous wait as Parnaby was to decide whether or not winger Shane Marteene had grounded the ball over the tryline for the Bulldogs' sixth four-pointer. In a brave decision, he ruled that the Roosters' Matt Sing had raked the ball out of his grasp over the chalk and awarded a penalty try. Marteene was perplexed as to what had transpired, admitting after the game that he had no idea what the video referee was going to do. On a rotten afternoon for the boys from Bondi, the questionable decision by Parnaby was the icing on the proverbial cake - several times during the first half they were on the end of some rough calls from referee Tony Archer.

If the Marteene try didn't cause the 13,303 strong pro-Bulldogs crowd to start talking, the final try to Roosters pin-up boy Craig Wing certainly did. Taking a quick tap two metres from the line, Wing dived close to the feet of the referee with an attempted tackle by Braith Anasta causing Archer to take a tumble. The sight of the referee at the foot of a pack of players elicited cheers from those in the outer. Again, Parnaby was called in - this time to pass judgement on the mess of appendages. A try was awarded and some respectability was delivered to the scoreline for Sydney.

Even though the final margin wasn't as damning as it potentially could have been, the Roosters will be wondering just how they can get their premiership campaign back on the rails. The Bulldogs, however, can start laying plans for a September assault on the NRL trophy. With a full side on the park, there's no reason why they can't go deep into the finals. A mouth watering clash with Brisbane at ANZ Stadium awaits them next weekend. If they can come through with the goods, they will be highly fancied by their army of support to go all the way.

Source: www.rleague.com

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