Match Details
Match Date	21st Sep, 2003
Opponent	Melbourne
Result	Win 30-0
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Steve Price
Venue	Sydney Football Stadium
Crowd	19,367
Referee	Bill Harrigan

The Bulldogs have recovered from an abysmal last-start loss to thrash Melbourne 30-0 in their NRL semi-final clash at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney.

Centre Nigel Vagana scored two of a five-try haul for the Dogs, who were on the end of a 26-point demolition by the New Zealand Warriors last week.

However, they showed enough class to rebound and overpower the Storm, and will now play the Sydney Roosters in a preliminary final next Saturday night.

The match has been billed as the final that never was, after the front-running Bulldogs were booted out of the competition last season for salary cap breaches.

The other clash will see minor premiers Penrith play the Warriors on Sunday, with the winner of each match to advance to the grand final.

Corey Hughes, Willie Mason and Adam Perry grabbed the other Bulldogs tries, while winger Hazem El Masri managed three milestones during the match.

While he could not convert the first try scored by Vagana after nine minutes, a 28th minute penalty allowed him to record his 1000th premiership point.

Two minutes later, an excellent dummy from lock Travis Norton put Hughes in for the Dogs' second, and El Masri's conversion was his 124th goal of the season, breaking Mick Cronin's (1982 for Parramatta) long standing record.

A field goal by pivot Braith Anasta completed the Bulldogs' scoring for the half, but they came out after the break looking to shut the Storm out of the match and Mason crashed over with six minutes gone.

El Masri's conversion attempt was wide but in the 58th minute a penalty awarded to the Bulldogs allowed him to eclipse Ivan Cleary's 1998 record for most points in a season (Cleary scored 284).

While Melbourne did not post a score against the Bulldogs it was not for want of trying.

They crossed the line on no less than four occasions, including three in the first half.

And Storm forward Peter Robinson was in the thick of it, ruled held up in the first half and offside in the second.

Prop Robbie Kearns also had an outstanding match for the Storm, although he was on the end of a bellringer from Bulldogs prop Mark O'Meley, the man of the match, in the second half.

An elbow from O'Meley smashed Kearns, although he managed to get up after some initial concern from both teams.

The Dogs had many other star performers, among them halfback Brent Sherwin whose kicking game was outstanding, and Anasta, who made up for an ordinary game against the Warriors.

Anasta kicked a second field goal at the death to even up the Bulldogs' score.

Source: www.abc.net.au

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