Late Dragons surge denied as Dogs claim derby spoils

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have opened 2025 by surviving a late scare to claim a 28-20 win over the Dragons.

The emotion of the rivalry between these two proud and historic clubs was on show early, with the Bulldogs crowing after an Emre Guler error off the kickoff before the Dragons returned the favour when Viliame Kikau did the same a minute later.

Once the game settled, the Bulldogs began to show their consistency, and it resulted in their opening try when Marcelo Montoya crossed in the corner. But before they could celebrate their lead, the Dragons hit back, with Christian Tuipulotu picking up a Stephen Crichton-sized knee to the head and a subsequent penalty try, leaving the Red V up 6-4. 

As it looked the Dragons were headed to half time with the lead, the Bulldogs struck twice - first capitalising on a dropped Matt Burton bomb by putting Blake Wilson over in the corner, then getting a penalty off the kickoff and marching down the field, where a Kikau offload allowed Connor Tracey to fight over the line and give the Berries a 16-6 half time lead.

The next period of play can only be described as the Sitili Topouniua legacy minutes. The former Rooster, making his club debut for Canterbury, gave his side momentum with some strong hit ups before scoring two short ball-assisted tries in the space of six minutes. Suddenly the lead had blown out to 28-6, and the Dogs looked to be coasting to victory.

But fatigue started to set in, with Dogs captain Crichton visibly struggling with cramping. The Dragons took advantage, attacking his side of the field to give Tuipulotu his second of the night. The clock, however, continued to tick, and 18 down inside the final 15 minutes, the Dragons chances seemed slim to none.

But like most sides coached by Shane Flanagan, they will not quit until the fat lady sings. A penalty allowed Jacob Liddle to take a quick tap, and the diminutive backup hooker raced away 65 metres, making Tracey look sub-par at the back as he cut the lead to 12. Then frantic movement saw the Dragons travel 50 metres in two plays, with about 17 offloads in between, before Tuipulotu completed his hat trick and made Kogarah roar with hope.

But Valentine Holmes' sideline conversion devastatingly faded too far left, and a few errors as the desperate Dragons searched for two more tries helped the Bulldogs hold on for the win despite captain Crichton leaving the field with 10 minutes remaining.

A few players are facing some scrutiny from the match review committee - most notably Crichton for his dangerous contact in the Tuipulotu penalty try, and Guler for a late hip drop tackle on Jacob Preston. Worse still for the Dragons, young forward Ryan Couchman's season may be over before it really could start, with the 21-year-old set for scans on a suspected ACL injury.