It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but a gutsy 22-12 victory over a youthful Easts Tigers has reaffirmed why the Bulimba Valleys Bulldogs are the favourites in the Southside 1 competition.
The Bulldogs could easily be likened to a fine vintage wine, getting better with age and providing a sprinkling of moments to make up for a somewhat sluggish contest.
Under coach Jason Harris, they continue to surge ahead in the competition and remain unbeaten in 2019.
In a bleak afternoon of rugby league, points were limited in the first half.
The first try came in the fourth minute, courtesy of Bulimba centre Mason Clarke who produced an in and away and caught the Bulldogs defence napping to slide in and score.
Bulimba stalwarts Adam Kambouris, Adam Ogden, Jarrod Kendall and Jai Smith, showed that age is no barrier as the quartet were outstanding despite being in the twilight of their careers.
On the stroke of halftime, Easts finally got on the board with a superb try to Isaak Spletter who somehow managed to plant the ball down and give the Tigers a 6-4 lead at halftime.
Six minutes into the second half, Bulldogs fullback Mat Hill’s long striding run in attack saw the talented custodian have a clear run to the line in a superb solo effort.
Moments later, Bulldogs stalwart Adam Ogden pinched a ball in a one-on-one steal like a thief in the night to race away untouched and score under the sticks. Seven minutes later Bulimba centre Elliott Davis increased the score line even further to 22-6.
Using his speed and guile to cut the defence to shreds, his try was superbly converted by Jai Smith from the sideline.
Easts centre Andrew Jackson, who was arguably the Tigers best player on the park, gave the smallish home crowd something to cheer about, after kicking a towering bomb which ricocheted off the crossbar.
The ball sat up perfectly for five-eighth Hayden Ross who made no mistake scoring beside the sticks. However, it was to no avail, as the Bulldogs had already done enough to ensure victory.
