Match Details
Match Date	3rd May, 2009
Opponent	Wests Tigers
Result	Win 22-20
Coach	Kevin Moore
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	25,662
Referee	Shayne Hayne Tony De Las Heras

The Bulldogs winning streak has stretched to five matches after they held off a desperate Wests Tigers 22-20 at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

State of Origin hopefuls Michael Ennis and Robbie Farah traded blows for the duration of the match but in the end it was veteran wing Hazem El Masri who provided the knockout punches in front of a crowd of 25,662.

He scored two tries and slotted the decisive sideline conversion in the 74th minute which couldn't be matched by the attempt of Shannon Gallant four minutes later gifting the Dogs the win and sending them to the top of the competition table.

"I thought our decision-making in attack and defence was a little off. But it was a great crowd behind us, a great day for footy and great to get the win," said coach Kevin Moore.

In his 299th first grade game El Masri wound back the clock as he scored two tries in the first forty minutes.

His first came in the 4th minute after Jamal Idris tapped a spiralling Brett Kimmorley bomb into his grateful clutches.

The Tigers hit back courtesy of a close-range charge from Tim Moltzen but El Masri crossed again after the Dogs found an extra man on the right-hand flank in the 26th minute.

A converted try to wing Beau Ryan off a short side play levelled the score at 10-all, where it remained at halftime.

The Tigers struck immediately after the break after an Andrew Ryan error allowed Farah to send lock Todd Payten over.

However Ennis soon hit back on the scoreboard and in the head-to-head hooker battle, collecting a deft Kimmorley grubber and diving under the posts to register his second try of the year.

Farah wasn't finished just yet. One of his trademark grubbers resulted in a penalty to the Tigers, which Shannon Gallant dutifully slotted over to level at 16-all with 20 minutes to play.

Ennis, not to be outdone, displayed his impressive kicking skills with a deft in-goal grubber of his own. As it slipped through the grasp of Beau Ryan, a flying Bryson Goodwin raced through to plant it in the corner.

Roles were reversed just minutes later as Farah put boot to ball, evading the hands of Goodwin and finding Beau Ryan in the corner.

However Shannon Gallant, with the chance to level the scores, cracked under the pressure and sprayed his conversion attempt metres wide of the right-hand upright.

Captain Andrew Ryan praised man-of-the-match Ennis for an impressive display which may well have secured him the chance of representing NSW.

"He's been great for us all year, even from the pre-season. He's the ultimate professional and leads by example on the field, which is all you can ask for," he said.

Meanwhile Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore was keen to point out that the club is performing admirably in all five grades (NRL, NSW Cup, Toyota Cup, SG Ball, Harold Matthews).

"This is the second week in a row that we've won all five grades. I think it's really encouraging for our fans and for the club that right across the board the hard work is paying off and we're getting results," he said.

Source: Evan Sieff

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