NRL 2024: Canterbury Bulldogs defeat Canberra Raiders 22-18, Stephen Crichton stars
The streets around Belmore Sports Ground were engulfed in a sea of blue and white as Bulldogs fans celebrated passionately following their win over the Raiders. Watch the footage.
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Canterbury fans celebrated passionately through the streets around Belmore Sports Ground after Sunday’s NRL win over Canberra.
Crowds were four-deep along popular Burwood Road where supporters beeped car horns, beat drums and waved flags after Canterbury’s gripping win over the Raiders.
Some fans were even rocking a car full of Dogs’ fans.
“They are all singing ‘The dogs are having a party’,” said Canterbury legend Paul Langmack.
“The fans are beeping their car horns, there are supporters everywhere.
“Could you imagine the fans’ celebrations if Canterbury won the grand final? The Bulldogs have the best supporters in the NRL.”
More than 18,000 fans crammed Belmore Sports Ground for Sunday’s match.
Canterbury are in fifth place on the NRL competition table and are charging head-first toward their first finals appearance since 2016.
REPORT: CAPTAIN CRICHTON STARS AS BULLDOGS SURGE TOWARDS FINALS
Canterbury have secured a crucial 22-18 victory, spoiling Josh Papali’i’s 300th game in a seesawing affair at Belmore Sports Ground, as the club rapidly approaches a top four berth.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart seemingly dropped a bombshell on his team list before a ball had been kicked, relegating Dally M Rookie of the Year contender Ethan Strange to 18th man duties, and recalling NSW Cup half Adam Cook to his line-up.
The young five-eighth had played every game this season for Canberra before the Belmore clash, and the absence was clear as the Raiders struggled down their left edge in the opening stanza.
The Belmore effect was on show early as an emotionally charged Canterbury outfit started out strong, applying pressure to Ricky Stuart’s men in the opening stages, zinging the ball from edge to edge as they did against Brisbane last weekend.
Desperate to stay in the race for a top four spot, it was the skipper in Stephen Crichton that would have the suburban ground erupting first, fending off Sebastian Kris to burst through the line and plant it down for the blue-and-white’s first, and a 4-0 lead.
However while Canterbury are eager to make the top four, the Raiders are just as desperate to stay in the race for the eight after a St George Illawarra upset at AAMI Park pushed the green machine down to 9th over the weekend, somewhere Sticky believes his team deserves to be.
“We’re worthy of where we are. We had four weeks of football where we had two weeks of bad football and two weeks of effort but we lost the games,” Stuart said after the game.
“Those four weeks have really hurt us.”
However while Canterbury are eager to make the top four, the Raiders are just as desperate to stay in the race for the eight after a St George Illawarra upset at AAMI Park pushed the green machine down to 9th over the weekend.
It wouldn’t take long for Canberra to strike back, knocking on the front door after a sneaky short ball from Tom Starling sent bench forward Trey Mooney under the sticks to earn a surprising lead.
The young prop would go from hero to villain after dropping the ball in the very next set, opening up field position for the Bulldogs to square the ledger at 6-6 after an offside penalty right in front of the sticks.
Neither side could crack the other to finish the opening stanza, despite a dominant display from Joseph Tapine in the middle third to set the tone.
Defence may have been the order for the first-half, but razzle dazzle was on the menu for the second after some sizzling solo play saw Crichton bag a double minutes after the break.
The captain caught the ball five metres out from the line, angling a perfect chip kick between Kris and Rapana before regathering and grounding the ball millimetres from the dead-ball line, and snatch back the lead.
A horror 60 seconds from Xavier Savage doubled the Dogs’ advantage, dropping the ball 40 metres out from his own line, before jamming in off the scrum to give Josh Addo-Carr an untouched run to the tryline, and a sudden 16-6 margin.
While Canberra’s left edge struggled in attack without Strange at the helm, their right was humming, finally finding an answer on the scoreboard after a grubber from Fogarty found the hands of a steaming Matt Timoko, planting the ball down to cut Canterbury’s lead to just four.
However it was only an entree to the play of the day from Stephen Crichton, as the skipper darted across from right centre to catch a Matt Burton bomb on the left-hand side, before finding the Foxx to bag a double in front of 18,110 screaming blue-and-white fans.
The Raiders would snag a late consolation try through Jordan Rapana to set up a grandstand finish, however the Dogs wouldn’t be denied a win at their spiritual home, defending their backsides off to snare a crucial 22-18 win, and just one win outside the top four.
It’s the kind of victory that has Ciraldo confident in what’s to come for his side.
“Probably the grittiest we’ve played all year, which might sound silly with some of the performances we’ve had this year.
“But we didn’t know what our team was going to be like until last night. We’ve had a few players sick, Jacob Kiraz came down with it two days ago, he hasn’t trained, I thought there was no chance he was going to play, but he just refused not to play.
“Sam Hughes didn’t train, Burto didn’t train, we knew we weren’t going to be our best today but we knew we had to find a way to win.”
CAPTAIN CRITTA COMES UP CLUTCH
There’s been a number of fantastic signings in the NRL in 2024, but not one has been as influential as Stephen Crichton has been at Belmore.
The 23-year-old raised eyebrows after being named as club captain before playing a game for the Dogs, however his leadership, and skillset, were on show in spades on Sunday afternoon.
The New South Welshman bagged two tries, set another up, and was everywhere in defence for Canterbury in the dying moments. A real captain’s knock.
He may be close to the youngest skipper in the competition, but there’s little doubt his side knows how important his inclusion is.
“It was awesome for our guys to get the job down in Brisbane without him (Stephen Crichton) but we know how good he is in those big moments and pressure games,” Ciraldo said in the post-match press conference.
“I thought he led outstanding today, just his leadership, talking to the boys in the warm up, talking about what day it’s going to be, talking about keeping them on track. And when the moment came for him to stand up, he goes and pulls off a play like that (for Addo-Carr’s second try).
“That play won us the game.”
STRANGE DECISION HURTS STICKY
Ricky Stuart’s decision to drop rookie sensation Ethan Strange to 18th man before kick-off sent a shockwave through Canberra fans, just a week after the kid starred against South Sydney.
The five-eighth hadn’t missed a game so far in 2024, and was growing close to a certainty to earn Rookie of the Year honours, b efore being dropped for Adam Cook.
The move hurt Canberra’s left-edge immensely, often lost at sea while their right side was humming. It’s hard to see the rookie left out of the team again next week.
Stuart claims it was a rest for Strange as opposed to a dropping.
“I know how to look after young players,” Stuart said post-match.
“I said to him earlier in the month you’re going to have a week off, you tell me when you need it. You guys (the media) see his brilliant play, I see the physicality he’s copping.
“He’s a 19-year-old boy who’s played every minute of the season, I’ve got to look after him because I feel at the backend of the season he’ll be better for the team.
“He wasn’t happy with it at all, he isn’t one to shy away from playing, but me personally I’ve got to worry about Ethan for the backend of this season, and how he starts next year.”
BELMORE BURSTS AT THE SEAMS
There was only a tick over 18,000 fans at Belmore Sports Ground, but the atmosphere was as electric as a packed Accor Stadium in September, especially in the dying moments.
The Canterbury fans seem as rejuvenated as the players and club themselves, suddenly filled with hope again as the Bulldogs edge closer to their first finals series in seven years.
They won’t get to play a post-season game at their spiritual home ground, but one thing is for certain – the Dogs are barking again.
They won’t get to play a post-season game at their spiritual home ground, but one thing is for certain – the Dogs are barking again, and Cameron Ciraldo knows it.
“It was an awesome day for our club, and for our team,” the head coach said after the win.
“The energy and the excitement from the fans when we arrived here today here downstairs was something we probably haven’t seen before, and won’t be something we’ll forget any time soon. These days, where we get to play at Belmore, they’re really important to us, really important to our community, and we really embrace them.
“I think they helped get us home tonight.”
- Jack Blyth
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