Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles 36-16 in their Saturday afternoon game at 4 Pines Park.
Initially, the Sea Eagles mounted a strong attack on the Bulldogs’ half, and when they reached the 20-metre line, halves Dean Matterson and Troy Dargan combined to send Jackson Ferris over for Blacktown’s first try. Ferris scored his second after a Blake Wilson knock-on, before Joshua Stuckey and Clayton Faulalo combined to score a third try, and Matterson planted the ball down for a fourth unconverted try. This left the score at 16-nil with under 20 minutes left in the half.
However, the Bulldogs finally got on the scoreboard with Ryan Gray’s try from dummy-half, followed by tries from Jayden Okunbor and Joash Papalii. In the second half, Karl Oloapu’s grubber kick led to Lipoi Hopoi’s try, which put the Bulldogs ahead. Jeral Skelton then scored from a right-side shift, and a penalty goal increased the Bulldogs’ lead to 30-16. Oloapu’s stepping skills helped him score the final try and complete the impressive comeback victory.
