By Dan Walsh
Canterbury came, they saw, they got the two points without truly conquering – after a little bit of everything along the way.
As expected, the Bulldogs defeated their storied but struggling Parramatta rivals. But it didn’t play out the way any observer would have anticipated, based on formlines or the first five minutes.
Which was what the Eels deserved and the game too considering it included, among plenty else, a penalty for impersonating a referee.
Josh Addo-Carr is apparently a banker, according to the same Canterbury fans to whom he was a cult hero just six months ago. Nothing too out of the ordinary there. Marauding Bulldogs fans drowning out Eels supporters at CommBank Stadium? Not so predictable.
For long stretches, Canterbury’s attack grew disjointed without Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau.
“We had some guys missing today that made it harder to get our attack going,” Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo said.
Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri celebrates his try with teammate Marcelo Montoya.Credit: Getty Images
“Over the first two rounds I was really disappointed with some of the tries we’ve let in. To keep them to two tries today... I thought there was a definite attitude adjustment to our defence and something we can build off moving forward.”
For Parramatta at least, there was stark defensive improvement on the 88 points leaked in their first two games – an unwanted club record for rookie coach Jason Ryles.
Thankfully so, too, because when Jack Williams produced a textbook example of how not to tackle in the fifth minute, and Bulldogs prop Daniel Suluka-Fifita shrugged through feeble goal-line defence for the opening try, the portents were ugly.
After that early embarrassment, Williams and the Eels added sorely needed starch to their efforts. They could have easily pinched the first win of Ryles’ NRL head coaching career, and would have deserved it based on their second-half fight.
Josh Addo-Carr celebrates scoring a try against his former club.Credit: Getty Images
“Much better in regards to our fight and our effort and what serving the [Eels] badge looks like,” Jason Ryles said, with a nod to the Eels Old Boys celebrated before kick-off.
“The players spoke about making it personal in regards to how they performed... we’ve been talking about it the whole time but today we started to see a little bit of fruit.”
Addo-Carr, in his Eels debut and first game since a positive roadside drug test for cocaine ended his Bulldogs career, was jeered with every involvement. Never was Canterbury’s dominance of the 24,059-crowd clearer than when they were bagging their former winger.
Signed by Ryles to add pace and personality to his rebuilding squad, Addo-Carr brought both when he dived over out wide early in the second half – earning cheers from the blue and golds and another round of boos from the rest.
Dylan Brown was at least spared the jeers of last week from Parramatta fans, though Newcastle’s $13 million marquee signing was rarely involved enough to warrant any.
Bulldogs forward Josh Curran took his own influence on the contest to rarely seen areas, calling Parramatta’s Matt Doorey offside in defence.
Given he was standing right next to referee Wyatt Raymond at the time, he was duly penalised for impersonating the whistleblower contrary to the spirit of the game.
Parramatta couldn’t convert that chance into points, but it wasn’t for lack of trying as Zac Lomax produced a late, and reasonably fruitful, chip and chase in the course of a kick return.
Will Penisini and Bronson Xerri both scored first-half tries dummying and surging against backpedalling defences.
Blake Wilson produced a perfect touchdown of his own when the Bulldogs right edge clicked into gear, the winger’s part-time training as a pilot clear in his pinpoint landing inside the corner post.
Parramatta’s surge in the second half was gutsy, but undone by handling errors and a lack of cohesion. Their second-half ascendancy showed everywhere on the scoreboard.
The absence of skipper Mitch Moses was all too clear to see, with Addo-Carr’s 46th-minute try the last of the afternoon. Canterbury had rattled up points across the first two rounds just as often as the Eels conceded them.
To keep their old rivals at bay on a dreary afternoon, the Bulldogs reverted to the defensive grind they built their own revival on last year. As to be expected, it was enough for a 3-0 start to the season, while Parramatta are now 0-3. With a little bit of everything along the way.
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