Match Details
Match Date	27th Jul, 2017
Opponent	Penrith
Result	Loss 8-16
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	James Graham
Venue	Penrith Park (Pepper Stadium)
Crowd	8,727
Referee	Ben Cummins David Munro

Canterbury’s uninspiring season is officially over after a 16-8 loss to Penrith on Thursday night ended coach Des Hasler’s ambitious hope of playing finals football in 2017.

Canterbury’s fourth loss in five games will only intensify the spotlight on Hasler’s term at the Bulldogs, with pressure mounting on club administration from frustrated fans to part ways with the veteran coach.

The Panthers and Bulldogs experienced similar poor starts to the season, but Penrith have turned the corner and continued their surge towards finals football with their fourth win in a row.

The talk leading into the game focused on the future of the Bulldogs coach and whether this would be his final season at the club despite only months ago signing a two-year contract extension.

A shellacking, of which there have been a few already this season, would have cast a huge cloud over Hasler’s immediate future in a week in which former Bulldogs player Michael Ennis called for the end of Hasler’s Canterbury regime.

The margin may have minimised the bite of frustrated Dogs fans, but there is no silencing the bark of a supporter group growing tired of an uninspiring brand of football.

A bright spot was getting a glimpse of next season’s potential permanent hooker as Moses Mbye continued his transition to the No. 9 jersey.

While a lack of organisation and game management continued to plague the Bulldogs in stages of the match, they looked far more potent and likely with Mbye darting out of the ruck than they previously had with Michael Lichaa.

The Wests Tigers-bound Josh Reynolds tried his heart out and scored Canterbury’s only try of the night, but he could do little to keep his side’s slim finals chances alive.

The win moves Penrith to equal competition points with eighth placed St George Illawarra Dragons, whose superior for and against has them in a stronger position heading into their clash with the Newcastle Knights this weekend.

The Panthers opened the scoring with a penalty goal and extended their lead soon after through a fortuitous try to Peter Wallace, who benefited from a Dylan Edwards kick that ricocheted off Moses Mbye, only for Aiden Tolman to bat the ball into Wallace’s path for an 8-0 lead.

Canterbury hit back through the man who looked most likely, Josh Reynolds. His big left foot step and great strength saw him burrow his way over to reduce the deficit to two.

A soft penalty in the ruck against the Panthers, who welcomed back Bryce Cartwright from injury, on the stroke of half-time gifted the visitors two points to send the teams into the sheds with the score locked at 8-8.

The second half was a tight struggle until Dallin Watene-Zelezniak took advantage of a brilliant Waqa Blake pass to score in the corner.

Trailing by four heading into the final 20 minutes, the Bulldogs didn’t do themselves any favours when halfback Matt Frawley coughed up possession with his side deep on the attack. Poor hands once again cost the Bulldogs, with fullback Will Hopoate spilling a Penrith grubber to gift Tyrone Peachey a try and leave Hasler scratching for answers following his side’s 12th loss of the season.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

LINE UP