Match Details
Match Date	9th Jul, 2006
Opponent	New Zealand Warriors
Result	Win 22-18
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Homebush (Telstra Stadium)
Crowd	14,076
Referee	Shayne Hayne

A brilliant Benji Marshall-style flick pass by replacement halfback Ben Roberts has given the Bulldogs a thrilling 22-18 golden point NRL victory over New Zealand Warriors at Telstra Stadium.

The scores were locked 18-all at fulltime and midway through the first period of extra time, Roberts, who was called into the side at short notice in place of Brent Sherwin, stepped up to make the match-winning play.

He made an incisive 30-metre burst and then delivered a miracle ball for NSW prop Mark O'Meley to dive over and seal the match.

It was an amazing comeback from the Bulldogs, who were down 16 points to nil after as many minutes after the Warriors began the match on fire.

The visitors' tactic of bombing Hazem El Masri's wing paid rich dividends early, resulting in two tries in the opening 12 minutes.

On both occasions, opposing flanker Manu Vatuvei leapt over El Masri to set up tries for his teammates, first for Simon Mannering and then Wairangi Koopu.

Having peppered El Masri with two towering bombs, halfback Grant Rovelli continued to torment the Bulldogs' right-side defence, sending Vatuvei over for a barnstorming try of his own after shifting the ball wide.

But after skipping to a 16-0 lead after as many minutes, the Bulldogs stormed back into the contest with two quick converted tries. Winger Cameron Phelps was the beneficiary of some quick hands midway through the first half, and then captain Andrew Ryan scored after Willie Mason put him into a hole with a flat cut-out pass.

A Tony Martin penalty goal in the last five minutes before the break extended the visitors' advantage to 18-12, where the scores remained until halftime.

The Bulldogs levelled the scores five minutes after the resumption, with Willie Tonga bouncing off three would-be tacklers on a strong run to the line.

But it was the last points in regular time as both teams struggled to break the stalemate.

Bulldogs pivot Daniel Holdsworth seemed destined to break the deadlock with a field-goal in the 73rd minute, only for Warriors captain Steve Price to pull off one of his trademark charge-downs against his former club.

He had two other unsuccessful attempts during regular time, with his third attempt in the dying seconds just wide of the mark.

Source: AAP

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