Canterbury have found their mojo. But who’d have thought it’d be in the AAMI Park dressing sheds, staring down a third loss in four weeks?
From 12-0 down against a Melbourne side that just doesn’t lose on their own patch, the Bulldogs bit back and pushed the locals all the way in a pulsating 20-14 Storm victory.
The kicker for Cameron Ciraldo’s side? They are now odds on to be back at Melbourne’s AAMI Park graveyard once again in three weeks time when the finals kick off.
This one had early semis written all over it as both captains Harry Grant (shoulder charge) and Stephen Crichton (dangerous contact) were both put on report and the latter threatened to send the game to extra time.
The Bunker ruled Crichton didn’t regather a last-minute Matt Burton kick after scrambling in the air, and Ciraldo will follow up what he described as a 50-50 call with the NRL next week. Regardless, the Bulldogs will take plenty of heart from their best performance in months.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the result but I don’t think we lost too many admirers,” Ciraldo said
“It was really good to be involved in a game like that and it will be really good to learn those [finals] lessons. We know we can play at a high level... There were a lot of things I’m really happy about and proud of the boys for, and some things I’m excited to show them that could’ve been better.”
Nonetheless, the Raiders’ epic golden-point triumph over Penrith leaves Canberra two points clear in first-place on the ladder. Melbourne have opened up a four-point gap on third-placed Canterbury.
With crunch clashes against Penrith and Cronulla still to come, the Bulldogs could still slip to fourth, which would send them down to Canberra in week one of the finals.
A fall any further into sudden death semis is mathematically possible, but nigh unfathomable given both the first five months of 2025, and this brave effort.
A return second v third bout with Melbourne looms on the same turf where opposition hopes and dreams so often go to die.
For the first 40 minutes though, the Storm had Canterbury well and truly covered, with tries to Eliesa Katoa and Ryan Papenhuyzen as Lachlan Galvin struggled with and without the ball.
Credit to the kid though, he rarely dies wondering, and neither did the Bulldogs. With offloads aplenty, they worked their way back into the contest after the break, first through Bailey Hayward burrowing through the defence for a dummy-half try.
The very next set began with Grant shoulder-charging Harry Hayes from the kick-off. It took a few moments to be picked up, but Grant was put on report and sin-binned at the same time that prop Tui Kamikamica was knocked out by an accidental elbow from Sitili Tupouniua.
In typical Storm fashion though, they were next to score with just 12 men – Xavier Coates on the end of a pinpoint Jonah Pezet crossfield kick as the young playmaker came on from the bench.
Tempers frayed throughout the second half, and Canterbury kept things interesting with a Viliame Kikau try. Had either Jacob Kiraz or Hayes been able to keep a handle on the ball as they crossed the line – the latter after a fine run from halfway – the story could easily have been different.
Kiraz’s 69th-minute four-pointer set up a grandstand finish that was in the balance until the very last play in the very last second.
While Grant faces a nervous wait and Nelson Asofa-Solomona looms as Kamikamica’s replacement next week against the Roosters, Crichton was also cited for raking his hand across Papenhuyzen’s face.
Replays did not show any real suggestion of an eye gouge or misconduct though and a showdown with all his old premiership-winning mates from Penrith awaits next Thursday. At least he and the Dogs can meet them with a bit of mojo again.