The Bulldogs defeat the Eels in round 2.
Coming off a huge win against the New Zealand Warriors, the Parramatta Eels have had their bubble burst by an understrength Canterbury Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs managed a to hold on to a 4-point lead the entire second half to down the Eels 20-16. In stark contrast, the first half of the match saw seven tries scored, while the second half was a tight contest with not a single point scored by either team.
Parramatta were heavy favourites to win the round two clash after their superb form last week and the Bulldogs still missing star fullback Ben Barba.
But the Canterbury team proved they could win matches without the Dally M star as they dominated in defence against a desperate Parramatta side.
The final 15 minutes of play saw the Eels repeat sets on the Bulldogs 20-metre line but were unable to break through. Jarryd Hayne illustrated the sides frustration as he threw a terrible forward pass in a desperate attempt to get Cheyse Blair over the line.
In the end the Canterbury defence was too strong despite Chris Sandow having another strong display for the Eels. Fullback Jarryd Hayne had a disappointing night which included being outplayed by Bulldogs Josh Reynolds for an 80m try in the first half.
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