Travelling full of confidence after recording their first win for the season just last week against the Blacktown Workers, the nib Newcastle Knights ISP Reserve Grade side was defeated by the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 22-12 at North Sydney Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs claimed two early tries over the Knights through Jack Nelson and Lachlan Lewis in the opening minutes of the match, and led the Knights 10-nil by the 18th minute.
Knights fullback Brent Naden answered the call, and took his first slice of the pie, crossing the line through a grubber.
Both teams scrambled to claim another try before half time with the Knights looking to even the scores.
However, it was the Bulldogs' Josh Cleeland who took advantage of an offensive overlap minutes before half time, creating an eight-point lead over the away team and putting the Bulldogs in a good position going into the second half.
The Knights took the field in the second half with a stronger mindset. The Knights' resilience proved successful, as a tired Bulldogs line lapsed in concentration, and gave Naden an opportunity to come back for seconds.
Jack Johns nailed the conversion from the sideline, and the Knights trailed by two points with 30 minutes remaining.
A certain try from the Bulldogs was disallowed from the referees, as a solid defensive effort from the Knights forced a knock-on from Cleeland as he attempted to put the ball over the line.
Bulldogs bench hooker Zac Woolford proved a weighty impact role, sealing the victory by planting the ball shy of the dead-ball line from a kick. Brown converted Woolford's try, and the Bulldogs led 20-12.
A late penalty allowed the Bulldogs to bring their lead to 10, just four minutes before the full time buzzer, and the Bulldogs claimed their fourth victory in the past five rounds.
SUMMARY
Knights 12 (T: Naden 2, G: Johns 2/2)
Bulldogs 22
