By Claire Stegbauer
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs produced one of the more dominant performances of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup season in Round 14, piling on 11 tries in a ruthless 60-4 victory over Parramatta Eels at Accor Stadium on King's Birthday Monday.
The scoring started after just two minutes when a Bradley Avery knock-on handed Canterbury-Bankstown early possession. Logan Spinks regathered before shifting the ball to Taye Cochrane, who crossed in the left corner to open the floodgates.
Cochrane was involved once more as the home side struck again, throwing a clever dummy before delivering a pass to centre Nick O'Meley, who brushed aside two defenders to score on the right edge. Minutes later, strong work from prop Zyon Maiu'u and an Alex Conti line break sent O'Meley over for his second, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 16-0 lead.
Kade Dykes then began to stamp his authority on the contest. His grubber forced another repeat set before the five-eighth combined with second-rower Logan Spinks, who charged onto a short ball to score beside the posts. Soon after, Dykes split the middle of the defence before the Bulldogs shifted quickly to the short side, where Spinks regathered a bouncing kick to notch his second try.
Frustrations boiled over midway through the first half when Ryley Smith and Bulldogs hooker Gordon Chan Kum Tong were both sin-binned following an altercation in back-play.
Even with 12 men, the Bulldogs refused to ease off. Conti, who was heavily involved throughout the afternoon, linked with Jack Todd before receiving a brilliant offload back to score the Bulldogs' sixth unanswered try. Jonathan Sua added the extras to send the hosts to the sheds with a staggering 34-0 half-time lead.
The Eels emerged with energy after the break, but the Bulldogs were first to strike once again. Conti launched another booming kick downfield as debutant Michael Nassar won the race to the bouncing ball to score a memorable first NSW Cup try, although the moment was soured when he appeared to injure his hamstring in the process.
Canterbury-Bankstown's eighth try came courtesy of relentless kick pressure. Cochrane grubbered in behind the line with Spinks and Avery both contesting the ball before it spilled into the arms of O'Meley, who completed a deserved hat-trick.
Parramatta finally broke through just past the hour mark after several repeat sets on the Bulldogs' line. They worked the ball neatly through the middle before reaching Mohamed Alameddine, who crossed in the left corner to avoid the shutout and trail 44-4.
The Bulldogs next try came when Chan Kum Tong showed great vision to grubber into an unguarded in-goal area, where Patrick Young won the race to score. Moments later, the Bulldogs sliced through the middle, with Chan Kum Tong making the initial break before Conti powered over.
O'Meley to put the finishing touches on a remarkable individual performance when Broden Konz chased through from a Parramatta error and found O'Meley in support, allowing the winger to sprint away for his fourth try of the afternoon and round off the 60-4 win.
Talking Points
Nick O'Meley was simply unstoppable, crossing for four tries in a strong display on the right edge. The centre found space constantly, backed up his inside men and punished every Parramatta mistake.
Alex Conti had a hand in almost everything Canterbury-Bankstown did well. The halfback created multiple line-breaks, scored a double of his own and repeatedly turned the Eels around with his kicking game, including the long kick that led to Michael Nassar’s debut try.
Kade Dykes controlled the opening 20 minutes superbly, with the Bulldogs fullback laying on two tries and forcing repeat sets through clever kicking. His combination with Logan Spinks proved particularly dangerous as Canterbury-Bankstown raced out to a 28-0 lead.
Key Moment
With the Bulldogs already leading 22-0, Kade Dykes burst through the middle of the field before Jonathan Sue quickly shifted play to the short side. Logan Spinks managed to kick and regather a messy bouncing ball to score his second try of the afternoon, helping extend the margin to 28-0 after just 21 minutes. The five-try blitz effectively ended the contest before the Eels could settle into the game, with the Bulldogs never looking back.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs will enjoy a well-earned bye in Round 15 after producing one of their most dominant performances of the season. The Eels will look to bounce back when they return home to the James Hardie Centre of Excellence on Sunday afternoon to take on the Canberra Raiders.
