The 21-20 loss was a painful defeat in so many ways, not least of all because of what happened at the club this week. But the Warriors led throughout the match until a late Bulldogs fightback.
It meant interim coach Andrew McFadden started his NRL career in disappointing fashion but there was at least a lot more to like about the Warriors' performance. It was considerably better than their limp 37-6 defeat to the Sharks last weekend which ultimately cost Matt Elliott his job.
What made it even more difficult was the fact they had to play with only two interchanges for more than one half after losing Ben Matulino (ribs) and Sebastine Ikahihifo (head). They also made some silly errors, which invited trouble, and demanded they make plenty more tackles than the Bulldogs and that level of pressure started to take its toll by the end of the match.
It's not uncommon for teams to react after a coach has been sacked, although the Warriors couldn't do it last time when Brian McClennan was dismissed near the end of 2012, and it's the level of application they need to produce each week.
The Bulldogs were just more polished, and they have now won three on the bounce. In comparison, the Warriors have a two win, four loss record and sit near the bottom of the table.
They looked sharp in the first 30 minutes of the match. There was plenty of intent in what they did, especially on defence, and they jumped out to a 10-0 lead through tries to Sam Tomkins and Manu Vatuvei.
Both came after terrific offloads from Matulino, who started in the second-row in the absence of Jayson Bukuya, and he seemed to enjoy the greater freedom and ability to get his hands through the defensive line. His absence was a massive loss, however, and the club will hope he won't be out for long.
The Warriors started to get a little ragged as the game wore on and little errors surfaced. Tomkins slipped over the sideline gathering a grubber and Vatuvei spilled a bomb and the Bulldogs started to take advantage.
The home side still looked in a good position, especially after both Konrad Hurrell and Simon Mannering scored to open out a 20-12 lead with 23 minutes remaining.
But a Tim Lafai try with 13 minutes remaining, which came from a Hodkinson intercept 90m out, gave the Dogs a sniff. Hodkinson landed a penalty with three minutes to go which locked the scores up 20-20 and it was inevitable it would come down to a field goal.
Thomas Leuluai had a chance - it should have gone to Shaun Johnson - but sliced his wide before Hodkinson coolly slotted one with two minutes remaining.
Bulldogs 21 (Sam Perrett, Tony Williams, Tim Lafai tries; Trent Hodkinson 4 gls, fg), Warriors 20 (Sam Tomkins, Manu Vatuvei, Konrad Hurrell tries; Shaun Johnson gl). HT: 10-6.
