It was an improvement on recent performances but for a club that's had the blowtorch applied to it on several fronts this week, Friday's 13-10 loss to Canterbury will do little to turn down the heat on St George Illawarra.
A week after being humbled 36-0 by a red-hot Cowboys outfit, the Bulldogs withstood an early onslaught from the Dragons to lead 13-0 at the half, and did enough in the second to hold on hand Paul McGregor's under-fire side a fourth straight loss.Â
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Disappointing Dogs hold off Dragons
The Bulldogs have managed to survive an enormous effort from the Dragons despite scoring no second-half points in a thrilling 13-10 win which sees them momentarily move into the top four.
It keeps the them well in the hunt for a top four finish, but Bulldogs fans wondering how excited they should be about their enigmatic side's title prospects are probably still scratching their heads.
Coach Des Hasler admitted post-match that the contest was "ugly at times," but said it was a vital two points for his side as they continue to push for a top four finish.
"It's probably not the way we want to play but the win was important for us.
"I thought St George's intentions were pretty clear from the start, they started with five tights, they were aggressive off the line and aggressive with their tackling.
"Possession's a real issue for us at the moment. We're coming up with too many unforced errors and it's something we need to address pretty quickly. It doesn't make for very interesting writing but those are the plain facts.
"There are some very good aspects to what we're doing but there are some other aspects that we need to address. [Defensively] there were some great moments...but we've got to be able to back it up with something as simple as completing the next set. That's not happening for us."
The win may yet come at a cost with Reynolds likely to face scrutiny after appearing to trip Joel Thompson in a desperate effort that denied the Dragons forward what would've been the opening try in the 15th minute. Reynolds, has twice been suspended for tripping in the past and could face a lengthy stint on the sideline if charged.
"I'm pretty sure he had his hands on him at the same [so] he should be OK," Hasler said.
It brought to an end a horror week for the Dragons that saw police charges leveled at two players and frustrated fans apply the blowtorch to the club - that could slip to 12th on the ladder if Manly defeat last-placed Newcastle on Sunday.
"It was a huge improvement on the last couple of weeks. They're a very good side, a top four side, so to win the second half 10-0...there's a lot of satisfaction that lies in the effort tonight," McGregor said.
"There were a probably a few moments there we wished the field was 98 metres not a hundred. We probably would've scored four more tries if it was. There were a couple of moments there where we just got pulled down a couple of metres short and we played some attractive footy.
"That last 10 minutes we probably could've had a little bit more composure. We're still working hard on our execution but overall I'm happy with that effort. I thought we came out with a real of purpose and we stayed at it for longer.
"We've been guilty in the last few weeks of not playing with the intensity we need to play at for 80 minutes of footy so tonight was a huge improvement on our second half of footy this year. We've got to continue what we built today and play that sort of footy from the start on Thursday [against Brisbane]."
Their woes could deepen with star forward Tyson Frizell likely to face scrutiny from the match review panel for making contact with assistant referee Chris James early in the first half. The contact was minor but could provide an added headache ahead of Thursday night's clash with Brisbane in Wollongong.
Bulldogs half Josh Reynolds could also face scrutiny after appearing to trip Joel Thompson in a desperate effort that denied the Dragons forward what would've been the opening try in the 15th minute. Reynolds, who was close to the Dogs best, has twice been suspended for tripping in the past and could face a lengthy stint on the sideline if charged.
The clash ended at two tries apiece with goal-kicking and a field-goal to Reynolds proving the difference though the Dragons could consider themselves unlucky after creating multiple opportunities but struggling to land the killer blow.
Jason Nightingale and Kurt Mann both went close early on as Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall forced four line dropouts between them in the opening 16 minutes. But, in what's been the story of their season, they couldn't turn the pressure into points despite going close on several occasions.Â
Despite having less than half of the ball in the opening 20 minutes it was the Bulldogs who crossed first through Reynolds in the 24th minute after Greg Eastwood, Moses Mbye and Josh Morris all produced offloads in the lead up.
The hosts extended their lead to 12-0 when bench weapon Sam Kasiano strolled across from close range four minutes later, after Perrett split the Dragons defence at the other end.Â
The margin looked certain to remain at halftime before Reynolds slotted a field goal from 40 metres out as the siren sounded, giving the Dogs a 13-0 buffer.
Mann continued an outstanding run of try-scoring form since earning a top-grade recall seven minutes after the interval, winning the race to a deft kick from Widdop to cross and cut the margin to 13-4.Â
Aitken's 60th-minute four-pointer came via the boot of Marshall with Widdop's conversion cutting the deficit to three with 20 minutes to play. The Dragons pressed hard for a go-ahead try but couldn't find it, with the Dogs tackling their way to victory.