Bulldogs ‘miracle’ sends ‘best season ever’ to new height

It’s hard to believe the 2023 NRL season is still just five weeks old after another jaw-dropping weekend ended in a “miracle” finish.

Matt Burton celebrates a wild victory over the Cowboys. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Canterbury Bulldogs have continued one of the greatest starts to an NRL season in recent memory, pulling off a 15-14 win over the North Queensland Cowboys.

Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton kicked a golden point field goal to steal the remarkable result after Josh Addo-Carr sent the game to extra-time with an 80th minute try.

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Burton couldn’t seal the match with a sideline conversion which hit the post, but didn’t end the match after linking with Addo-Carr for an audacious chip kick at the end of the first five minutes of golden point.

It put Burton in position for the big kicker to slot the field goal, and sending his teammates and fans wild.

“The Bulldogs have pulled off a miracle. What a win by the Dogs,” Warren Smith said in Fox League commentary.

League great Cooper Cronk said the most impressive part of the finish was Burton putting the missed conversion out of his mind.

“Here is Matt Burton. He had the opportunity to kick the conversion in normal regulation but in the hardest part, he had the calm, the precision and the skill to kick a 40m field goal and win it for the Dogs,” Cronk said.

“If the Dogs were going to win it, it was always going to be Addo-Carr and Burton.

“Matt Burton with the golden left boot and absolutely comes out with a clutch play here to win it for the Dogs. Outstanding.

“With 10 seconds left on the clock, he sits back, puts it in the sweet spot and puts the ball over the black dot.

“Josh Addo Carr and Matt Burton, take a bow.”

Bulldogs win in golden point. Photo: NRL Photos

Burton was buzzing after the match and said he needed to make it up to his teammates after hitting the post with his sideline conversion attempt.

“I’m over the moon,” Burton said on Fox League.

“It was tough at the end to miss that conversion from the sideline so I owed the boys one and just lucky enough to get that (field goal) away at the end there.”

It continues an incredible opening to the 2023 NRL season.

This NRL season has been absolutely ludicrous. Good footy. #NRLBulldogsCowboys

— Beth Newman (@bethknewman) April 2, 2023

This season is off the hook. Best first five rounds I can remember in my lifetime. #NRLBulldogsCowboys

— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) April 2, 2023

How good is this sport? #NRLBulldogsCowboys

— James Smith (@JamesSmith1001) April 2, 2023

FAR OUT!! What is going on with this @NRL season 👏👏👏 @abcsport

— Tim Verrall (@timverrall) April 2, 2023

Already this season, there have been five golden point finishes, including a 32-all draw between Manly and Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

To put it in context, since the golden point came into the competition in 2003, the most golden point matches in a season was 15 in the 2016 season.

Already the 2023 season is on pace to eclipse that record.

The latest golden point finish saw Smith “what a weekend this has been round five in 2023. We’re going to remember it for a long time.

“This might be the best season we’ve ever seen of rugby league in this country.”