Match Details
Match Date	24th May, 2013
Opponent	Brisbane
Result	Win 24-14
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	Michael Ennis
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	11,344
Referee	Jared Maxwell Henry Perenara

Ben Barba’s magic generally rests with ball in hand. But you truly get a sense as to whether the Canterbury fullback is ‘‘on’’ or not by what he does off the ball. And boy was he back to his best on Friday night in the Bulldogs’ 24-14 win against Brisbane at ANZ Stadium.

He scored a try and saved two others in a first-half performance that was easily his best since being crowned player of the season last year. His performance was so dominant that he even had arguably the greatest ever Queenslander, Wally Lewis, lauding his performance and urging that Barba be found a spot in the Maroons’ 17-man squad. And you wouldn’t argue with the King after Barba’s strong showing.

A solo effort from Barba produced the first try. In sloppy conditions, he recovered his own kick after a Justin Hodges knock-on, before racing 10 metres to score, carrying opposite fullback Corey Norman over the try line. He did that just moments after denying Brisbane winger Lachlan Maranta his side’s first points with the line wide open. All this within the first 10 minutes of play.

He continued to be busy, bouncing around the field and supporting strongly. But Barba’s defence was again on show, this time forcing Josh Hoffman into touch after Hoffman jumped on a well-timed Norman grubber. A 50-metre second half kick return dash again ignited the bulk of the 11,344 Canterbury faithful on hand.

Barba was not alone in producing a starring performance. Three strong stints by Sam Kasiano set the platform for Canterbury, who had the bulk of territory in the first half. The Bulldogs’ kicking game struggled in the first half, failing to maintain extended pressure on a willing Brisbane defensive unit.

Kasiano’s opening 15 minutes were powerful, but his second stint, where he nabbed a try to give his side a 12-4 lead, proved influential.

Despite the wet weather, the Bulldogs showed glimpses of the sharp attack that saw them charge towards last season’s minor premiership. The forwards, led by Kasiano and Frank Pritchard, were happy to tip on to each other. That interchange of passing spread the Broncos’ defence, with three forwards scoring tries. Not to be outdone by his front-row partner, Aiden Tolman scored his first four pointer of the season.

Minus star back-rower Tony Williams through injury, Pritchard stood tall in a rampaging 80-minute performance, scoring a try and running more than 100 metres. He was placed on report for a high tackle on Broncos halfback Peter Wallace.

It was a sour return, too, from injury for Brisbane centre Justin Hodges, who was outpointed by his Canterbury counterpart Josh Morris. Morris looked strong with limited chances but it was Hodges who made uncharacteristic handling and defensive errors. The pair are set to square off again in the opening State of Origin match.

The match threatened to boil over with Brisbane capitalising on a push and shove between the teams. As Brisbane played on against a weakened Canterbury defensive line, Maranta scored on full-time. The win capped a great turnaround for Canterbury, who were trounced 44-8 by Newcastle only five days ago.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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