Match Details
Match Date	3rd Sep, 2017
Opponent	St George Illawarra
Result	Win 26-20
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	James Graham
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	21,582
Referee	Ashley Klein Chris Sutton

Josh Reynolds and James Graham held back tears after the match as they reflected on a turbulent season that has left a question mark over the future of coach Des Hasler.

The Bulldogs, who finished the season with three wins on the trot, will hold an end-of-season review in coming weeks on the team’s shortcomings in 2017.

Hasler’s future will no doubt be a topic of discussion, but the coach wouldn’t delve into the matter when pressed on whether he believed he was the right man to take the club forward.

‘‘I’ve got a contract with them for another two years so why wouldn’t I think that,’’ Hasler said after the Bulldogs’ 26-20 win at ANZ Stadium on Sunday. ‘‘We didn’t make the eight, which is clearly something we need to fix up during the off-season.’’

The win was a bitter-sweet outing for the Wests Tigers-bound Josh Reynolds, who scored a try before leaving the field early with an ankle injury in his final game for the club.

‘‘I was trying to hang in out there but it wasn’t meant to be,’’ Reynolds said. ‘‘But we got the win and that’s the most important thing today ... I’m just really glad the boys came home in the end.’’

Graham, who considers Reynolds one of his closest friends, asked the Bulldogs five-eighth to lead the team out of the tunnel for his final game.

It was a gesture that wasn’t lost on the club’s favourite son.

‘‘I wasn’t sure what to think when he asked me to lead the team,’’ Reynolds said. ‘‘I’ve already had my farewell at Belmore. That was amazing. It means a lot for James and all the boys to make it special. It’s hard because you don’t want it to be about yourself, I really don’t. When he said that to me, it was just such an honour. It really is.

‘‘Like James said, little things like that and the friendships we create is what I’ll cherish forever and take out of this. Footy is footy, but mates hopefully last forever. That’s why I love this guy. I really do. It was massive, it really was.’’

While Hasler will no doubt be disappointed in missing his first finals series since 2004, he insists there were plenty of positives to take out of the final three weeks of the year.

‘‘I think the last few weeks we’ve been pretty strong,’’ Hasler said. ‘We came into a game tonight against a side with plenty to play for. Given the fact we lost [Reynolds] early and a winger – we didn’t do it easy. I’ve said all along the last few weeks, we’ve managed possession a lot better and taken the right options.’’

The Dogs ended St George Illawarra’s hopes of playing finals, presenting the North Queensland Cowboys with a chance to fight another day.

The Storm finished the season six points clear at the top of the ladder and are expected to win another premiership given the dominance they have shown throughout the year. However, Hasler suggested there was one team capable of challenging the Storm, predicting it could be a grand final rematch from last year.

‘‘Everyone is saying the Storm,’’ he said. ‘‘But I think if there’s a side that can beat the Storm and play the Storm, it’s Cronulla.’’

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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