Match Details
Match Date	4th Apr, 2014
Opponent	Sydney Roosters
Result	Win 9-8
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	Michael Ennis
Venue	Sydney Football Stadium (Allianz Stadium)
Crowd	12,854
Referee	Shayne Hayne Henry Perenara

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has expressed disappointment the premiers ignored an instruction to go for a penalty goal late in their 9-8 defeat by a gritty Canterbury side at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

Bulldogs five-eighth Josh Reynolds scored the only point of the second half when he slotted a 70th-minute field goal but the Roosters had an opportunity to break the 8-8 deadlock just minutes before when they received a penalty near their opponents’ line.

Robinson revealed he had sent out a message for five-eighth James Maloney to go for the penalty goal but the players felt they could score a try and hooker Jake Friend took a tap.

‘‘That was obviously crucial in the end,’’ Robinson said. ‘‘I feel James would have kicked it but that is what happens when you get guys that want to back their attack.

‘‘That is down to me, I have got to make sure the message is really clear for them. I sent a message out there ... but I needed to be really firm with that and I wasn’t. I need to get the message that you must take the two.’’

Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce missed a field-goal attempt at the end of the set and the Bulldogs went down the other end for Reynolds to notch his side’s third win of the season.

Earlier, it had appeared as if Robinson’s comments last week about his side’s lack of popularity with referees had made no difference as the Roosters struggled for a share of possession due largely to a 5-2 penalty count against them. There was also controversy over a disallowed try to the home side in the fifth minute when hooker Jake Friend scored but Williams was ruled to have tried to help Friend from being driven back into the field of play. He was ruled by video referees Bernard Sutton and Paul Mellor to have impeded Sam Perrett from joining the tackle.

After defending three sets of tackles on their own line, the Roosters were unable to prevent Chase Stanley capitalising on an overlap and crossing in the 11th minute for a try that was converted by Trent Hodkinson.

Everything seemed to be going the the Bulldogs’ way, with the Roosters not even able to get a penalty for the visitors being off-side as Daniel Tupou tried to run the ball from dummy half on his own line in the 18th minute, despite Henry Perenara telling fellow referee Shayne Hayne a Canterbury defender was off-side.

Instead, Hodkinson was able to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-0 two minutes later with a penalty goal. The referees also accused both sides of holding onto defenders and when a penalty was awarded to the Bulldogs in the 25th minute, one of the match officials was heard to advise the other: ‘He’s milked it’’. When Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello complained while a scrum was being packed, he was told: ‘‘This is this week, Anthony’’.

With the wet conditions, every penalty and mistake counted, and the Roosters regained their composure late in the half.

A penalty against Aiden Tolman for being too slow to get up in a tackle in the 30th minute earned a big cheer from Roosters fans in the 12,584 crowd and only a last-ditch tackle on his own line by Perrett prevented Mitch Aubusson from scoring. However, another penalty 20 metres out from the Bulldogs line enabled the Roosters to keep the pressure on and halfback Mitch Pearce put centre Michael Jennings over in the 34th minute.

Another penalty in the 38th minute enabled James Maloney to level the scores at 8-8, which is how they remained until Reynolds’ field goal.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

LINE UP