THE Bulldogs have fallen agonisingly short in a nail-biting Canberra Raiders Cup grand-final thriller yesterday afternoon.
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After Bulldogs flyer Nathan Chappell levelled scores to 20-all in the dying minutes of regular time, the Doggies couldn't muster the grunt to match the Queanbeyan Blues in a dramatic extra-time encounter. The Blues won 24-20.
It was Blues go-to man, David Pangai, who stormed through the Bulldogs line straight off the bat in the first minute of added time.
His grubber kick forward fell into the hands of Blues winger Leu Saipani who only had to fall over the line to lift the roof off Seiffert Oval.
The relentless Bulldogs attack that followed was held off for dear life by a Blues side determined not to go down in another extra-time showdown.
They held on, ending six years of grand-final heartache.
“It was pretty much what a grand-final should be, tight, and the two best teams of the year coming together,” a sombre Bulldogs captain/coach Michael Picker said after the match.
“It’s pretty hard for all the boys. Not just for us but for all the crowd as well who came down and really look up to the team and follow us.
“I’ve never actually lost one so it’s a bit hard to swallow.”
Many would have been forgiven to think it was a Goulburn home game, so loud and numerous were the Bulldogs supporters who made the trip up the Federal Hwy.
But it was the Blues who fired early through Ben Nicholl.
The Bulldogs shot back through fullback Michael Bani, who was arguably the best afield despite the man of the match going to Blues enforcer Scott Rutland.
Queanbeyan regained the lead through Pangai, but it wasn't long before Goulburn’s Tim Turner crossed over the line, thanks to some beautiful Bulldog ball work to narrow the gap to 12-10 the Blues’ way going into the second half.
The Bulldogs started the second half the more determined team, getting onto the scoreboard through Luke ‘Rooster’ Turner, courtesy of a beautiful Michael Picker 40-20 kick.
An 'up- the- guts' try to Blues centre Tommy Ruediger gave the Blues life and evened the scores at 16-all midway through the second-half.
Ruediger went over again to make it 20-16 the Blues way shortly after.
With the premiership on the line and with five minutes to go, Bulldog Nathan Chappell charged over on the Bulldogs left side.
Ben Picker’s conversion attempt fell wide and the game finished 20 points all.
As the Goulburn chant drowned out any Queanbeyan cheers for support, Blues danger man David Pangai barged his way through the Bulldogs line in the opening minute of extra time much to the delight of Blues coach Simon Woolford. Saipani chased Pangai’s kick and made it 24-20.
Despite a Blues knock-on gifting Goulburn prime field position to claim a game winner - it wasn’t meant to be.
“It’s a heartbreaking loss. To watch those blokes play their ends off today and to lose in extra time is devastating,” Bulldogs president Joe Stephens told the Post.
At the conclusion of the game, Michael Bani slumped to the ground. Like the entire Bulldogs team, he had given it his all, including refusing to leave the ground following a knock to the face that left him floored on the ground.
“We knew it was going to be a game like that. We just had to come today and match them, which for the most part I thought we did,” he told the Post.
“But lapses in defence let us down and we let them through. There were breaks in the line at the end, and it lost us the game.”
For the Blues the win caps off a season that saw the side finish minor premiers. But it’s also redemption.
They know heartache all too well after going down by a point to cross town rivals the Reds in the grand-final last year.