Match Details
Match Date	11th Jul, 2003
Opponent	Brisbane
Result	Win 40-4
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Steve Reardon
Venue	Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
Crowd	25,107
Referee	Shayne Hayne

The Canterbury Bulldogs have scored a convincing 40-4 win over Brisbane's 'Baby Broncos' in the National Rugby League match played at Lang Park.

The Dogs scored four first half tries and crossed three times after the half-time break to down the Origin depleted Broncos.

The Broncos entered the match without 10 regular first-graders, while the Bulldogs were missing five players through Origin and suspension.

Bulldogs halfback Brent Sherwin and fullback Luke Pattern both crossed for a double, while Nigel Vagana, Ben Harris and Glenn Hall were the other try scorers.

Hasim El Masri finished the match with six goals from seven attempts.

Although it was a convincing victory to the Bulldogs, the Broncos played better than the scoreboard would indicate.

Time after time enthusiastic Brisbane defence had the Bulldogs back-pedalling.

But it was at the money end of the ground that the Bulldogs turned their experience and discipline into points, while Brisbane fell short.

The contrast between the halfbacks illustrated this point.

Brisbane halfback Scott Prince tried hard but often his last play options, particularly his attacking kick, were poor.

At the other end, Sherwin produced his usual display of kicking brilliance and the Bulldogs profited as a result.

The Broncos lost five-eighth Brett Seymour early in the match to a foot injury.

But on a more positive note for Brisbane, prop Carl Webb played his best game so far this season - busting the line on several occasions.

Although possession in the first half was evenly shared, it was the Bulldogs who turned it into points.

The Broncos bombed what looked like a certain try in the second minute when Webb busted the Bulldogs' line on half-way.

The big front rower had men both inside and out, but chose to take on Patten. The move proved costly as the Broncos failed to score.

The Bulldogs, however, made no such mistake.

Two of the visitors' first half tries came from Sherwin grubbers, and the first after 13 minutes was fielded by Patten.

Eight minutes later Sherwin again put a kick through after a good run by forward Glenn Hall.

Sherwin regathered the ball and scored after Brisbane fullback Tony Duggan was blind-sided by the goal post.

Sherwin's second try came as a result of good vision from Bulldogs lock Tony Grimaldi.

Grimaldi picked up at dummy-half from 40 metres out and raced away.

He then drew Duggan before putting Sherwin in and the Dogs led 18-0 after half-an-hour.

The Bulldogs' fourth try came with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

After forcing a repeat set the Bulldogs created a short blind-side on the fifth tackle and Harris pushed through the tackle of Stuart Kelly to score.

The Broncos had the better of play after the break, although the margin always looked to big for the young footballers to close.

But they were rewarded for their efforts with a try to Casey McGuire in the 59th minute.

Prince ran to the line and dummied before basketball-passing to McGuire who out-sprinted the Bulldogs' cover defence to score out wide.

Prince missed the conversion.

A series of penalties and Bulldogs' errors continued to give Brisbane a welter of possession but the scrambling defence from the Dogs held the home side out.

Against the run of play in the 65th minute Vagana showed why he is regarded as one of the NRL's top try poachers.

He intercepted a Brisbane offload in heavy traffic around the ruck and ran 35 metres to score under the posts.

El Masri's conversion made the score 28-4.

With 10 minutes remaining much of the crowd began to focus on the progress of the Mexican wave around the stadium rather than the football.

Ironically, during this period the Broncos produced some of their best football of the night.

But despite Brisbane making chance after chance they were let down by their option taking close to the Bulldogs' line.

With five minutes remaining, the Broncos paid for not putting points on the board.

The Bulldogs went on the attack and poor ruck defence allowed interchange forward Roy Asotasi to put Patten in for his second.

Then as the final siren sounded a short pass from Sherwin put Hall into a gap. He stepped inside Duggan to score.

The result sees Penrith take over at the top of the NRL ladder by a single point by for-and-against.

The Panthers play South Sydney at Penrith Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and will take the outright premiership lead with a win.

Source: www.abc.net.au

LINE UP