This was the case for the Goulburn Bulldogs, who were sunk in a heart-stopping encounter by the Tuggeranong Bushrangers in a classic battle for the top of the ladder on Sunday.

After a back-and-forth game, which saw the Bushrangers leap out to a 0-10 lead before the Bulldogs reined them in and pushed the score to 20-18 in the second half, it came down to the last play of the match.

Tuggeranong had the ball roughly 20 metres out from Goulburn's tryline. Halfback Michael Brophy lined up a high kick to the right wing.

With three Goulburn defenders underneath the ball, none contested, and winger Connor Massen leapt to take the catch and crossed for the match-winning try.

The last minute of the game was spent by both teams watching Josh Mitchell line up his conversion.

While the Bushrangers were understandably elated, the Bulldogs hung their heads and gave each other half-hearted pats on the back. The players knew this game was theirs for the taking, but it had still slipped through their fingers.

"We're 30 seconds away from a really tough, gritty result," Bulldogs coach Adam Kyle said.

"That comes down to the edge they kicked it to, we had a guy on debut playing in centres when he's really a lock, and we've got an 18-year-old backing up from Under 19s to play on the wing for us.

"So, a little bit of inexperience on that side, but it's something that we'll learn from."

The loss to Tuggeranong means that the Bulldogs have slid to fourth on the ladder. While it is not an ideal position for Goulburn, Kyle is looking at the bigger picture.

"While it would be great to be sitting first, it's really important that, coming into the last five, six games of the season, we're the best team on the park and we're starting to hit our straps coming into, hopefully, a finals appearance," Kyle said.

"The boys have done a really good job to get to this point so far. Plenty of hard work to go, but it'll certainly be nice over the next two, three weeks to have our best side on the park."

As with all teams at this stage of the season, the Bulldogs have been struggling under the weight of a number of niggling injuries to several players.

With many set to return over the next few weeks, including star fullback Tyler Cornish, the Bulldogs' opponents will need to be on the lookout against a refreshed team.

This Saturday, that will be the Belconnen United Sharks. Ranked seventh, the Sharks will need to be at their best to have a chance of upsetting Goulburn. The match will begin from 3pm at O'Connor.

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