Match Details
Match Date	29th Jul, 2016
Opponent	St George Illawarra
Result	Win 13-10
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	James Graham
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	15,008
Referee	Matt Cecchin Chris James

It was an improvement on recent performances but for a club that has had the blowtorch applied to it on several fronts this week, Friday’s 13-10 loss to Canterbury will do little to turn down the heat on St George Illawarra.

A week after being humbled 36-0 by a red-hot Cowboys outfit, the Bulldogs withstood an early onslaught from the Dragons to lead 13-0 at the half and did enough in the second to hold on and hand Paul McGregor’s under-fire side a fourth straight loss.

It keeps the them well in the hunt for a top four finish but Bulldogs fans wondering how excited they should be about their enigmatic side’s title prospects are probably still scratching their heads.

It brought to an end a horror week for the Dragons that saw police charges levelled at two players and frustrated fans apply the blowtorch to the club that could slip to 12th on the ladder if Manly defeat last-placed Newcastle on Sunday.

Their woes could deepen with star forward Tyson Frizell likely to face scrutiny from the match review panel for making contact with assistant referee Chris James early in the first half. The contact was minor but could provide an added headache ahead of Thursday night’s clash with Brisbane in Wollongong.

Bulldogs half Josh Reynolds could also face scrutiny after appearing to trip Joel Thompson in a desperate effort that denied the Dragons forward what would have been the opening try in the 15th minute. Reynolds, who was close to the Dogs’ best, has twice been suspended for tripping in the past and could face a lengthy stint on the sideline if charged.

The clash ended at two tries apiece with goal-kicking and a field goal to Reynolds proving the difference, though the Dragons could consider themselves unlucky after creating multiple opportunities but struggling to land the killer blow.

Jason Nightingale and Kurt Mann both went close early on as Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall forced four line dropouts between them in the opening 16 minutes. But, in what has been the story of their season, they couldn’t turn the pressure into points despite going close on several occasions.

Despite having less than half of the ball in the opening 20 minutes it was the Bulldogs who crossed first through Reynolds in the 24th minute after Greg Eastwood, Moses Mbye and Josh Morris all produced off-loads in the lead-up.

The hosts extended their lead to 12-0 when bench weapon Sam Kasiano strolled across from close range four minutes later after Perrett split the Dragons defence at the other end.

The margin looked certain to remain at halftime before Reynolds slotted a field goal from 40 metres out as the siren sounded, giving the Dogs a 13-0 buffer at the break.

Mann continued an outstanding run of try-scoring form since earning a top-grade recall seven minutes after the resumption, winning the race to a deft kick from Widdop to cross and cut the margin to 13-4.

Aitken’s 60th-minute four-pointer came via the boot of Marshall with Widdop’s conversion cutting the deficit to three with 20 minutes to play. The Dragons pressed hard for a goahead try but couldn’t get the bounce of the ball.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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