NRL 2020: Bulldogs blow huge opportunity to avoid spoon, Marion Seve suffers suspected ACL injury for Storm
The Bulldogs missed a golden opportunity to move off the bottom of the table after they squandered a healthy lead against the Raiders.
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The Bulldogs missed a golden opportunity to move off the bottom of the table after they squandered a healthy lead to go down to the Raiders 34-20 at GIO Stadium.
Kieran Foran was huge for the visitors in the first half as they headed to the sheds with a 20-12 advantage, but his opposite number Jack Wighton stole the show with two tries in six minutes to turn the game on its head.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart was adamant during the week that his side wouldn’t have one eye on next week’s showdown with the Roosters, but it looked like they’d slipped on the proverbial banana peel when they leaked two tries to end the half.
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“If I had a player in my team that was complacent then I wouldn’t have played him. I’d smell that and I’d see it through the week. We haven’t even spoken about next week’s game,” he replied when quizzed on whether his side took the Bulldogs lightly.
Things got worse when Tom Starling was sent to the sin bin four minutes into the second half, but that’s when Wighton stepped up with two powerful solo tries to help his side move to 22 competition points, level with the Roosters ahead of the grand final rematch which could decide who gets into the top four.
“Jack Wighton got the game by the throat and took it upon himself to get us on the front foot,” Stuart said.
Caretaker coach Steve Georgallis must be out of answers after he watched his side forget how to defend as they meekly surrendered another handy lead to remain anchored to the foot of the table with just two wins in 2020.
“I don’t think you ever get used to losing, but we’re trying to find a way to win and we haven’t found it,” he said.
COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE
It’s a phrase that most coaches dish out in the pre-season, and the words proved to be true for the Green Machine on Sunday.
Having conceded two late tries to end the first half, the Raiders were reduced to 12 men when Starling was sent to the sin bin and then lost Curtis Scott to a left foot injury moments later.
Instead of crumbling, rookie Matt Timoko came on and earned a penalty with his first touch, and from there, they piled on three tries in 11 minutes in a show of strength that would have pleased their coach. Starling would later return to complete a double of his own. “They rallied together very well,” their coach said.
DOG DAYS ARE OVER
If Kieran Foran isn’t the answer, then perhaps the Bulldogs are asking the wrong questions. Reports suggest the off-contract five-eighth is unwanted next year and is set to leave Belmore after three injury-ravaged seasons even though the 30-year-old is playing exceptional footy and has strung together 13 games in a row in a sign he is capable of returning to his best.
He was at the centre of everything the Bulldogs did in attack, laying on two first-half tries and kickstarting Kerrod Holland’s contender for try of the year. The club’s young halves have struggled this season and there won’t be any relief until later in 2021 when recruit Blake Green returns from a knee injury.
CHALLENGING TIMES
A wasted captain’s challenge inside three minutes perfectly sums up Canterbury’s struggles in 2020. With just two minutes and 39 seconds gone, fullback Will Hopoate implored his skipper to contest a knock on that he thought had been stripped.
It took just one replay for the Bunker to dismiss the review, making it the earliest incorrect challenge of the season ahead of Gold Coast’s wasteful review in the seventh minute in Round 12.
INJURY AND JUDICIARY DRAMAS FOR STORM
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy is confident the club’s depth can handle their injury woes after Nelson Asofa-Solomona (calf) and Marion Seve (knee) both failed to finish in their 30-6 win over Manly.
In front of 2910 fans at a socially-distanced Sunshine Coast Stadium, Storm centre Justin Olam crossed for a hat-trick in a handy turnaround from last week’s scoreless result against Parramatta.
The return of the two Cameron’s – Smith and Munster – steered Melbourne to their 24-point victory, marking up their 16th win in a row at a Queensland venue.
Their left edge – of Olam and Josh Addo-Carr – was particularly dangerous putting on 20 points alone between them.
The loss has all but dashed Manly’s finals hopes, who now sit six points outside the top eight with four games to go with an upcoming schedule against the Tigers, Bulldogs, Titans and Warriors.
Manly coach Des Hasler challenged his players to change things around to have any hope of making the finals this year.
“Our choices around execution with the ball was just not up to standard and it was poor again today,” Hasler said.
“We made it tough on ourselves.
“We’ve just got to start winning games and we can start on working on fundamentals.”
Storm forward Christian Welch also faces a nervous wait at the judiciary after making contact with his knees to Manly’s Curtis Sironen’s head.
INJURY STRUCK
The Storm suffered another injury setback in Sunday’s clash with Manly, with boom forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona copping a calf injury during the match.
Melbourne also lost outside back Marion Seve with a suspected ACL injury.
The 25-year-old was carried from the field in the first half after suffering the injury in a bruising tackle by Manly fullback Tevita Funa.
Fears of an ACL injury for Marion Seve. Injury mechanism matches concern; direction change, non contact with shift of tibia (lower leg bone) during step. Testing from medical staff very accurate, so suspected ACL injury not a good sign. Surgery & 6-9 month recovery usual result pic.twitter.com/joNJWmWuaO
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) August 30, 2020
If confirmed, it will be a six to nine month recovery.
“It has been a (challenge) but that’s part of our game,” Bellamy said.
“The guys who have come in have done a really good job and it’s just about trying to get that mix right.”
The pair will join the likes of Brandon Smith, Kenny Bromwich, Dale Finucane and Vunivalu in Melbourne’s casualty ward.
FUTURE OF CAM
It’s one of the most anticipated decisions yet to be made in the NRL and Smith is yet to reveal what he plans to do next year.
Asked in the lead up to Sunday’s clash, Smith said “I’d like to make a decision as soon as I can”.
“There are still a lot of things I need to think about,” Smith said.
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“I guess being on the sidelines for the last few weeks has made it a little bit harder.
“I feel good and fresh for the three weeks off, but I would like to make a decision both for myself and the Storm moving forward.”
Melbourne fans will be praying he doesn’t leave the club after combining with his partner-in-crime Munster to put 24 points on Manly.
LUME-ING LARGE
Melbourne have unearthed another Fijian star through debutant Isaac Lumelume.
The Fijian international played his first NRL game at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday and didn’t put a step wrong, finishing the match with 161 running metres and coming close to scoring a try in the second half.
He was called into the side for the injured Suliasa Vunivalu – a fellow Fijian flyer – and did his future chances no harm.
The “best of the Hopoate brothers” also made his NRL debut for Manly on Sunday and finished with
The 19-year-old has suffered two successive ACL injuries during his young football career so far and it was good to see him survive a brutal match against Melbourne.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Bulldogs blow huge opportunity to avoid spoon, Marion Seve suffers suspected ACL injury for Storm