Round 7 of the NRL got underway in the most underwhelming fashion, with a miserable performance from both sides that produced no points after the 5 minute mark, the Roosters downing Canterbury 6-0 at ANZ Stadium.
The Bulldogs bumbled their way through the match, looking like a team with zero communication or game plan in attack other than one out runs through the middle. The Roosters were only marginally better, but were sorely lacking in discipline with the ball in hand and in imagination on their last tackle plays.
Both sides spent near the entirety of the game kicking uncontested bombs which obviously resulted in zero points.
The contest started brightly when the Bulldogs defence forced a turnover in the first set. However their raid ended with one of several woeful grubbers by Marshall-King.
Two sets later and Woods was penalised for not playing the ball properly inside his own half. The Roosters struck swiftly, swinging the ball left through Tedesco to Mitchell, who got outside his defender and forced his way through some feeble defence to score. He converted his try, 10 metres in from the left touchline.
The Roosters looked more threatening, but constantly failed to capitalise, largely through poor ball handling or a useless bomb on the last.
The Bulldogs were conservative in attack all night, option for repeated sets full of hit up's before either putting up an uncontested bomb, or an ineffective grubber.
In the 23rd minute Latrell Mitchell was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes after being ruled (eventually, by the Bunker) to have help Foran back while he was backing up to catch an offload close to the Roosters line. Lichaa barged over after the penalty but was held up.
Right on halftime, Ferguson very nearly scored in the corner, but he lost the ball as he was being taken into touch.
The Bulldogs started the second half the same way the Roosters started the first, with a knock on in the first set. Matterson got himself across the tryline at the end of the ensuing set, but was brilliantly held up and denied by a magnificent show of strength by Faitala-Mariner.
With 13 minutes left, Blake Ferguson very nearly scored in the corner again, but a brilliant Brett Morris cover tackle took him into touch.
The match ended fittingly with the Bulldogs running around with nothing happening before knocking the ball on cold.
Next week the blue-and-whites head to Penrith to meet the high-flying Panthers while the Roosters are the away side at Allianz for next Wednesday's annual ANZAC Day contest.