Match Details
Match Date	8th May, 2005
Opponent	Brisbane
Result	Loss 28-35
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
Crowd	29,845
Referee	Tim Mander

Brisbane won a dramatic NRL clash 35-28 over the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium today.

In a heart-stopping finish, Brisbane skipper Darren Lockyer kicked a 35m field goal with 90 seconds remaining to break a 28-28 deadlock. Replacement Casey McGuire then ran 65m after the ensuing kick-off to score on the final siren.

Brisbane appeared to have botched the field-goal attempt before fullback Karmichael Hunt scrambled the ball to Lockyer who had an eternity to measure his match-winner shot.

The Bulldogs not only lost the game but also had two players placed on report - winger Matt Utai and fullback Luke Pattern.

Utai went high in a tackle on rival winger Scott Minto, but the tackle may have looked worse because Utai had to get off the ground against the lanky Minto.

Pattern could be in worse trouble.

He appeared to drop his forearm into Minto's head after the Brisbane winger fell awkwardly in a tackle in the 46th minute.

Minto, who had to be assisted from the field in a dazed state, was injured in the tackle and replays showed Pattern dropping his forearm as the Bronco lay on the turf.
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The news was not all good for Brisbane either with tackling tyro David Stagg forced off the field just before halftime following a nasty, accidental head-clash with Bulldogs centre Jamaal Lolesi.

Stagg may have suffered a serious facial injury, while Lolesi also left the ground with a face cut.

Within seconds of his collision with Lolesi, Stagg was sporting a lump the size of a golf ball on his cheek.

Brisbane received a lucky let-off in the second minute with video referee Sean Hamsptead denying the Bulldogs a try to hooker Corey Hughes, ruling a defensive obstruction.

Winger Hazem El Masri, backing up from Friday night's City-Country clash in Lismore, showed no signs of fatigue, scoring the Bulldogs' first 12 points with two tries in the space of four minutes.

Not to be outdone, rookie Brisbane winger Leon Bott also grabbed a first-half double - the second, just before halftime, laced with a fair amount of luck as the ball rolled favourably for him and terribly for Dogs fullback Luke Pattern.

That try cut the deficit to 16-10 at the break, and whatever coach Wayne Bennett said, or yelled, at his players at halftime, it had the desired affect.

Skipper Darren Lockyer brought up his 1000th premiership point for Brisbane with a penalty goal, as the Broncos came out firing in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points to kick out to a 24-16 lead.

The Bulldogs grabbed back lead 28-24 after forward Nate Myles scored his first NRL try before Hunt crossed in the 74th minute to even the ledger at 28-28.

Source: AAP

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