Match Details
Match Date	15th Apr, 2005
Opponent	Sydney Roosters
Result	Loss 16-29
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Homebush (Telstra Stadium)
Crowd	27,111
Referee	Paul Simpkins

The Roosters have avenged last year's grand final defeat with a hard-fought 29-16 win over the Bulldogs in the round six National Rugby League match at the Olympic stadium in Homebush.

Having survived an early onslaught from the Bulldogs, who raced out to a 16-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes, the Roosters recorded a five tries to three victory, their third of the season.

Ryan Cross scored a double for the Roosters, while Anthony Tupou, Joel Monaghan and Anthony Minichiello all grabbed one try each.

Craig Fitzgibbon (3) and Amos Roberts (1) kicked conversions and Brett Finch managed a field goal.

For the Bulldogs, Luke Patten, Matt Utai and Willie Tonga scored tries and Hazem El Masri kicked two conversions.

The win was even more impressive for the Roosters, who played much of the second half with only 12 men.

Adrian Morley was sent off in the 48th minute for a high shot on Utai but his team-mates showed their class to not only win the match, but keep the Bulldogs scoreless in the second half.

The loss has only added to the Bulldogs disappointing start to the NRL season, having registered only one win so far.

Yet with the Bulldogs' ability to string consecutives wins together, as shown in recent seasons, it would be somewhat premature to write off their chances of securing back-to-back premiership success in 2005.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the second minute of play when Patten crossed for his try.

Positioned 30 metres out, Patten ran right from a play-the-ball and after dummying to his outside support, he proceeded to work his way through the lazy Roosters defence to score.

El Masri added the extras and the Bulldogs moved further out in front when Utai scored two minutes later.

The Roosters had attempted to spread the ball right from just inside their own half, but Utai was able to intercept a pass directed to Chris Flannery before running virtually unopposed to the tryline.

El Masri's conversion made the score 12-0 in favour of the Bulldogs.

Tonga put the score out to 16-0 when he crossed in the 19th minute.

The Kangaroos centre took a pass 10 metres out from the Roosters tryline and muscled his way past three defenders to score the Bulldogs third try.

With a 16-point deficit and the Bulldogs enjoying both possession and territory, the Roosters could have been forgiven for being somewhat shell-shocked.

However, they bounced back soon after Tonga's try when Cross scored the first of his two tries.

Close to the Bulldogs tryline on the left-hand side of the field, Minichiello had run wide from dummy-half to draw the defence marked on his outside man, Cross.

Minichiello was able to get a pass away to Cross, who withstood the cover defence of Patten to score the Roosters' opening four-pointer, which was converted by Fitzgibbon from near the touchline.

The Roosters closed the gap on the scoreboard to just four points, when Tupou scored minutes later.

Having received the ball from Finch through a switch play in front of goals, Tupou ran a straight line to break through several Bulldogs defenders to score under the posts.

Roberts kicked the conversion and with no other points scored in the remaining 10 minutes of the half, the Bulldogs led 16-12 at the break.

The second half started disastrously for the Roosters when Morley was sent off.

Down to 12 men the Roosters could have crumbled, but instead they gained the lead when Minichiello scored a converted try soon after Morley's departure.

The Kangaroos full-back received a flat pass from Finch within 10 metres of the Bulldogs tryline and having got on the outside of Braith Anasta, he angled his run to cross for his four-pointer.

The Roosters stretched their lead out to six points when Monaghan scored a spectacular try in the 57th minute.

Camped inside the Bulldogs' 22, Finch went to air with a high chip kick to the right wing.

As the ball came down in the in-goal area, Monaghan leapt above Utai and team-mate Flannery to superbly mark the ball and crash over.

The momentum of the match had now swung in favour of the Roosters and they confirmed the result when Finch kicked his field goal with only 10 minutes of play left.

Cross scored his second try in the 75th minute and with Fitzgibbon's third conversion, the Roosters closed out their 13-point win.

Source: www.abc.net.au

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