Match Details
Match Date	20th Jul, 2007
Opponent	Gold Coast Titans
Result	Win 36-12
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Gold Coast (Stadium)
Crowd	15,873
Referee	Sean Hampstead

Superb performances from Luke Patten and Reni Maitua helped the Bulldogs to a 36-12 thrashing of Gold Coast in their NRL clash at Carrara.

Patten bagged two tries while Maitua made several crucial breaks as the visitors consigned the injury-ravaged Titans to their fourth consecutive defeat in front of a healthy 15,873-strong crowd.

The Titans looked lost in attack without injured playmaker Scott Prince (collarbone), relying on prop Luke Bailey to score the home side's only tries.

Missing star forwards Willie Mason (wrist) and Mark O'Meley (hamstring), the Bulldogs had injury concerns of their own but were too classy for the Titans, who desperately need a confidence-boosting win against South Sydney at Telstra Stadium next week.

The Bulldogs have now won four of their past five matches and rubber-stamped their credentials as a genuine premiership contender without playing their best football in the six-tries-to-two victory.

They held a commanding 24-6 half-time lead following tries to centre Daryl Millard, lock Maitua, winger Heka Nanai and Patten, who pulled off a superb try-saving tackle on New Zealand international winger Jake Webster early in the game.

It was looking like the Titans - coming off a demoralising 56-10 loss to Canberra - were crumbling under the pressure in the first half as Bulldogs enforcer Sonny Bill Williams lifted his team-mates with some bone-rattling hits.

But Titans captain Bailey gave his team a glimmer of hope with a 20m charge to the line just before the break after steaming onto an inside ball from No.7 Josh Lewis.

Patten grabbed his double in the 55th minute after man-of-the-match Maitua had made a burst and set up his fullback, who left the field in the 67th minute with a shoulder injury.

A clever Brent Sherwin cross-field kick to the right corner handed an unmarked Millard an easy try, his second for the night.

Sharp-shooting goal-kicker Hazem El Masri was again flawless, booting six goals from six attempts.

Titans winger Chris Walker played his first NRL match since round one, coming off the bench, but had little impact against the Bulldogs' stingy defence.

Source: AAP

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