Match Details
Match Date	11th Jul, 2004
Opponent	Melbourne
Result	Win 25-18
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Steve Price
Venue	Sydney Showground Homebush
Crowd	7,252
Referee	Paul Simpkins

The Bulldogs have gone equal top of the National Rugby League ladder with a 25-18 win over Melbourne in their round 18 match at the Sydney Showgrounds.

The home side kept the Storm scoreless in the second half after going into the sheds 18-8 down.

Braith Anasta and Willie Mason were influential in the Bulldogs' comeback, with Origin hero Mason scoring a barnstorming try to put his team in front with 15 minutes left.

Anasta made sure of victory with a field goal five minutes from time.

Jamaal Lolesi and Willie Tonga were also outstanding down the right flank for the Bulldogs, with winger Lolesi making two line breaks and scoring a try which was set up by Tonga.

The hard yards up front were done by captain Steve Price and prop Mark O'Meley, both backing up from Wednesday night's Origin match.

Price, who it is expected will soon announce a move to the New Zealand Warriors for next season, was simply outstanding with 29 tackles and 21 hit-ups.

He admitted that the Bulldogs had to step up a gear to beat the Storm.

"They've shown in the last few weeks that they've certainly changed from last year, they're a very well disciplined side, defensively they're very strong and we really had to work for our points," he said.

Price told ABC Grandstand he would make a decision on his future within the next few days.

The come from behind victory moved the home side to equal top of the ladder with the Sydney Roosters, who suffered a shock loss to Parramatta on Saturday night.

The Storm remain in the top four thanks to Penrith's stunning loss to South Sydney, but coach Craig Bellamy was far from impressed with his team's performance.

"I thought we were very brave defensively, but we just never gave ourselves a chance with the footy," he said.

"We just came up with error after error, it's just really frustrating. I don't know how many times we lost it in the play-the-ball, it's not that hard a skill.

"It's just disappointing, [but there's] not much we can do about it now, we've just go to hopefully improve in that area and worry about next week."

The Storm had compiled an impressive opening 40 minutes with mercurial half-back Matt Orford dictating terms.

The highlight of the first half was a runaway try to Billy Slater, the Queensland star streaking over 100 metres to put his team back in front after the Bulldogs had assumed the lead.

It was Melbourne who scored first through second-rower David Kidwell, continuing his sparkling form of late with a try after 16 minutes.

But the Bulldogs hit back five minutes later, New South Wales discard Andrew Ryan adding to his hattrick last week against Manly when he got on the end of an Anasta pass.

Winger Hazem El Masri converted and then added a penalty from right in front moments later as the Bulldogs went ahead.

But their joy was to be short-lived with Slater displaying his precocious talent.

He scooped up a loose ball inside his own in-goal area, put on a jink to evade the Bulldogs line and scooted the length of the field.

Anasta was then denied a four-pointed when he knocked on over the line before the Storm extended their lead through hooker Cameron Smith.

Smith, the other Queensland Origin star backing up for the Storm, got onto the end of an Orford kick to dot down.

But it all went wrong for the Storm when they kicked a dropout out on the full in the opening stages of the second half.

That gave the Bulldogs a tap penalty just 10 metres out and they took advantage with Tonga showing strength to beat Matt Geyer before flicking a ball to Lolesi who scored in the corner.

The Bulldogs have been showing signs they were ready to come out of their shell and Tonga again made metres from the resulting kick-off.

They drew level with a converted try to substitute Reni Matua in the 54th minute, and Mason put them in front with a bullocking effort nine minutes later.

Source: www.abc.net.au

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