Western Suburbs Magpies have succumbed to their first defeat of the NSW Cup season on Sunday, falling to a strong Bulldogs outfit at Belmore.
Match: Bulldogs v Magpies
Round 3 -
home Team
Bulldogs
1st Position
away Team
Magpies
7th Position
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
A weakened Magpies side was outclassed by a fast-starting Dogs team, and despite an improved second half defensively, couldn’t make a real dent on the scoresheet.
Jeral Skelton and Khaled Rajab crossed early to get things going for the home side, before Karl Oloapu put Jackson Topine through a hole for Canterbury’s third.
The Bulldogs scored three more tries before half-time, with a length of the field effort from young winger Eli Clark being the pick of the bunch.
Up by 32 points at the break, Jeral Skelton opened the scoring in the second stanza, leaping to catch a bomb and extend the home side’s lead.
Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg Cup graduate Kade Hill split the defence to score the Magpies first of the afternoon, with the halfback’s speed and footwork on full display.
Declan Casey collected his double after 58 minutes, before recent NRL debutant Brandon Tumeth busted through the line to give the Magpies a second try.
Clark scored his second four-pointer on the stroke of full-time, with the Bulldogs proving too strong on the day.
