Fiji Bati Prop Viliame Kikau could not help his Canterbury Bulldogs side as they suffered their second defeat of the NRL season, going down 44-8 to the Dolphins in wet and wild conditions at Accor Stadium.
With 10 players unavailable due to Origin duties, injuries and suspensions, the new-look team was up against it, but the clash was posted as an opportunity to put the Club’s depth to the test.
The Bulldogs got on the board first through a penalty goal after Ray Stone was pinged for a dangerous tackle, however, the Dolphins responded two minutes later with a Jamayne Isaako try to take a four-point lead.
The Dolphins took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Jack Bostock, and they picked up where they left off after the break, with Harrison Graham’s try taking the score to 20-8.
Jake Turpin looked set to celebrate his first NRL game since June last year with a try, only for referee Todd Smith to call Reed Mahoney’s pass from dummy-half forward.
The Dolphins sealed the win with four unanswered tries in the final 17 minutes, scored by Herbie Farnworth, Francis Molo, Jake Averillo, and Kurt Donoghue.
The Bulldogs will now recover, rest, and reset over the bye before the Club’s next home game on the King’s Birthday against the Parramatta Eels.
