Bulldogs pull off stunning comeback to win 32-20 over Raiders

The Bulldogs have pulled off a comeback for the ages, scoring 32 unanswered points to cement their spot atop the NRL ladder, as the Raiders blew an impressive lead in front of a historic home crowd.

As good as the Bulldogs have been this season, the whispers across the game has been that really, who had the boys from Belmore beaten?

And more so, that they struggle against the power packs of the NRL.

Wins over the Dragons, Titans (twice), Eels, Knights and Rabbitohs had elevated the Dogs to their equal best start to a season since 1938.

But were those wins against heavyweights of the NRL? Not in the eyes of most.

Flat-track bullies, the whispers went.

Sandwiched in between the Bulldogs surge up the ladder was a defiant win over the Sharks in round four.

Still not convincing enough, so the whispers said.

A first-half thumping by the Broncos and eventual 42-18 loss in round eight was the game that the critics have been clinging too.

Which is probably part of the reason why the Dogs, despite their first position on the NRL ladder, began as outsiders with the bookies against Canberra at a packed GIO Stadium on Saturday.

At 20-0 nil down at halftime, the whispers that the Dogs are September pretenders were roaring.

The Raiders looked set for a massive win after leading 20-0 at halftime. Picture: Getty Images

The Bulldogs spent the majority of the first-half against Canberra stuck in a violent green rip.

Try as they might, the Dogs were swimming against the tide for the opening 40-minutes, spending just 12 tackles inside the Raiders 20-metre zone compared to Canberra’s 25.

The Raiders players walked off to a standing ovation. Canberra fans wouldn’t get out of their seats for the rest of the match.

The Bulldogs went bang. With Bailey Hayward taking over as the dominant half over Toby Sexton, Canterbury went to their big guns.

But the Bulldogs produced a stunning 32-point turnaround to comeback and win the game. Picture: NRL Imagery

With the benefit of early ball and with space to move, Stephen Crichton went wild down the right side to launch one of the great comebacks.

In reaffirming why Crichton is the best centre in the world, the Dogs went to work on proving why they are genuine premiership contenders.

This team under coach Cameron Ciraldo are believers. Belief wins competitions.

Racing in six second-half tries, the Dogs showed incredible mental steel to rubbish the first-half and replace it with a smorgasbord of ball movement, aided by this club’s elite fitness levels.

Running in 32 unanswered second-half points, the Dogs didn’t just shut the whisper campaign down, they sent a loud and clear statement they can win this competition.

Originally published as Bulldogs pull off stunning comeback to win 32-20 over Raiders