Match Details
Match Date	18th Sep, 2015
Opponent	Sydney Roosters
Result	Loss 12-38
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	James Graham
Venue	Sydney Football Stadium (Allianz Stadium)
Crowd	35,711
Referee	Matt Cecchin Ben Cummins

Two tries in three minutes – the first courtesy of a dubious refereeing decision that left the Bulldogs raging, the second a runaway score by flying fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – put the Roosters on course for victory in last night’s semi-final. A controversial decision to award Kane Evans a 51st-minute try threatened to overshadow the Sydney Roosters’ 26-point semi final win over the Bulldogs, but a clinical second-half performance featuring a hat-trick to Shaun Kenny-Dowall showed why they are still a force to be reckoned with this season.

When Evans was held up over the line by a pack of desperate Bulldogs defenders with his team leading 8-4, Jackson Hastings had already assembled his men for the next play. But Evans emerged from underneath the ruck and asked referee Matt Cecchin the question. Cecchin thought it was a try on the field, but referred it upstairs to video referees Bernard Sutton and Ben Galea.

They could not find any evidence to overturn the decision, despite replays suggesting Evans planted the ball short of the line before a potential double movement.

Bulldogs fans were livid, Roosters fans ecstatic and of course, the controversial call sent social media into meltdown.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck then rubbed salt into the fresh wounds, skipping through three minutes later to put the Roosters up 20-4, before Kenny-Dowall and Boyd Cordner and grabbed late tries to put the boys from Bondi back into premiership favouritism. Winning 12 games straight leading into the finals meant diddly-squat for the Roosters, who were outmuscled, outwrestled and outplayed by the Melbourne Storm last week.

As for the Bulldogs, they had won their last six games – all since their 38-28 loss to the Roosters in round 21 – before an error-riddled scrap against the Dragons consigned them to genuine underdog status against Trent Robinson’s men at a wet Allianz Stadium.

An hour before kick-off the heavens opened and for anyone who knows a thing or two about rugby league, their eyes also opened.

It was 617 kilograms versus 612 kilograms; just five kilograms split the packs – and that was only the starting players. The opening passage of play was predominantly in the middle of the field, with the big men, who – having seen the weather forecast – made sure they got their hands on the ball early.

After a Roosters penalty goal in the ninth minute, Kenny-Dowall was the beneficiary of a high ball spilled by Curtis Rona. He slid across the turf, ball under arm, into the right corner and scored not only an important try in the context of the season and the match, but one which held more significance for a man with more than football on his mind.

Just when the Bulldogs looked to be lapsing into a repeat of last weekend’s sloppy display, Josh Reynolds put centre Tim Lafai into a hole to set up his fifth try of the year. Completion rates were poor and so too overall ball handling. Between the two sides there were 16 errors in the first half and 25 all up. Completion rates did not get above 70 per cent. Ring-in halfback Hastings was superb and showed why he looks destined for a long career in the top grade, while his humble sidekick James Maloney went about his business in the background as the Roosters proved too strong across the park.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

LINE UP