With the game in the balance and the Warriors leading 12-10, the Bulldogs scored 14 unanswered points to take a 24-12 win.
Despite dominating the first 20 minutes of each half, the Warriors were unable to turn their pressure into points.
Two tries were all they could muster, despite having the better of possession. They were met by a strong defence which did not relent as the Warriors kept banging away at the Bulldogs’ line.
The Warriors were their own worst enemies, lacking the clinical touch in the red zone and conceding four flimsy tries.
It was that ability to be clinical that got the Bulldogs home.
They absorbed mountains of pressure and cashed in when they got their chances.
It enabled them to claim their first win of the season, while condemning the Warriors to the second loss off their 2017 campaign. The Warriors got the scoring under way in the 15th minute, when Tuimoala Lolohea grubbered ahead into the goal post.
He was thwarted by Josh Reynolds’ boot as he went to dive on the ball off the ricochet.
But Reynolds was not able to kick it dead and Bodene Thompson scampered through to dive on it and score the try, which Shaun Johnson converted.The Warriors remained on top for the next 10 minutes, but it was the Bulldogs who scored next.
Halfback Moses Mbye slipped through a gap and did enough to beat Lolohea’s cover.
He scored in the left corner and proceeded to convert his own try.
The try brought a momentum shift, as the Bulldogs finished the half the stronger and took the lead in the 38th minute.
After forcing a repeat set, they were able to create an overlap up the left side.
Brenko Lee delivered the final pass to put Brett Morris in space up the sideline and the experienced winger was able to touch down in the corner.
Solomone Kata went close just after the break, although his try was ruled out by the TMO.
The Warriors dominated the first 20 minutes of the second half, but, just like the first, they made hard work of turning that pressure into points.
Eventually they did, Johnson collecting an offload on the inside from Thompson after going wide right.He brought it round under the posts and added the extras to take the lead 12-10.
The Bulldogs hit back five minutes later, as Josh Morris sucked in two defenders and put debutante Marcelo Montoya over the line on the cut.
It was a moment of flimsy defence and one which undid the dominance of the rest of that half.
Mbye extended the lead to six points when he kicked a penalty with eight minutes left, a deficit that was too much for the Warriors to overcome.
When Brett Morris ran around some soft defence late in the game the crowd began to leave in droves, as the writing was on the wall.
NRL
The scores
NZ Warriors 12
Bodene Thompson, Shaun Johnson tries; Johnson 2 con
Canterbury Bulldogs 24
Moses Mbye, Brett Morris 2, Marcelo Montoya tries; Mbye 3 con
Halftime: 10-6
