The Bulldogs team song has rarely sounded as satisfying for Canterbury as it did on Saturday night. For Des Hasler, it marked a commanding 26-point win that snapped their inconsistency.
For their fans, it was the sweet sound that followed a 40-14 thrashing of Brisbane, a team that had inflicted so much pain upon them over the years.
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Bulldogs run riot over Broncos
Canterbury secured back-to-back wins for just the third time this season to move equal on points with Brisbane in fourth place.
It was also time to rejoice for Tony Williams, whose performance silenced his critics. It was celebration for Sam Kasiano, who came up with a freak try, and for Moses Mbye with three assists. And none would have been happier to hear those tunes than Brett Morris, whose surprise comeback from a long-term injury was marked with a hat-trick of tries.
"It was probably more the context of the game," Hasler said.
A match that could prove so decisive come the season's end was more immediately a poignant one for Canterbury Bulldogs who kept their title charge alive with an emotional victory.
It began with news Josh Morris was replaced by his brother Brett, whose season had been spent as a spectator due to a long-term knee injury. His name on the big screen was met with applause, his first carry with a standing ovation from some while his first attempt had the crowd off their seats. His first try gave the fans a hint of what they missed, his third provided hope that this season could again be one to remember."It was great to see [Morris] return today and he's worked really hard, I've got to give a huge rap to our rehab team. They've performed unbelievably to get him back," Hasler said.
Corey Oates, still fresh from the success of his first Origin series win, was the first to torment the Bulldogs when the winger did what his forwards couldn't, bursting through the line from a hit-up. A fearless try-saving tackle from Will Hopoate denied the young winger his first try of the evening, though Oates only had to wait until the next set, scoring in the corner in the 23rd minute to break the longstanding deadlock.
Just as the Bulldogs looked to be struggling for creativity, Mbye produced an intelligent set play to bring their first try of the night. A pass inside found Williams, who burst through the Broncos line.
After Mbye produced a try-saving tackle, Kasiano came up with a moment of magic in the resulting set, one that looked like a truck impersonating a ballerina. The giant forward fended off three tacklers and in one swift, gymnastic move, the 130kg Kasiano twisted out of the tackle, leapt over the backline and emphatically slammed the ball over the try-line.
The moment the fans had waited all season to see arrived shortly after the restart. Another break from Mbye through the middle of the park put the Bulldogs in range and when he found Morris in support, there was only one outcome when the Australian international bore down on the try-line.
David Klemmer bounced back from Origin defeat midweek to make a statement against Brisbane, breaking through four tackles to score beneath the uprights.
The Broncos deflated pack were still reeling from that embarrassment when Canterbury sealed the match through the returning Morris. A quick exchange from Curtis Rona gave Morris his second in his comeback match and it was 28-4 after Kerrod Holland converted from the sideline.
Mbye had barely put a foot wrong all match, but was guilty of giving the Broncos a faint hope of a comeback when his flat pass was intercepted by James Roberts, who raced the length of the field to reduce the deficit to 18.
He made up for that error with his third assist, and second for Brett Morris, who sealed his hat-trick in his comeback match before late tries to Anthony Milford and a second for Kasiano.
It was just the third time this season that the Bulldogs have secured back-to-back wins, to move equal on points with Brisbane in fourth place. It proved costly for Brisbane who lost debutant Tom Opicic for up to six weeks with a foot injury though the result was one Wayne Bennett says was partially inflicted by Origin midweek.
"We had no alternative to [resting forwards] in my view because they're backing up from Origin and I just can't justify to myself to absolutely kill them out there when they have to back-up on Friday night," he said.
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