This was Hazem El Masri's party, and there was no way the New Zealand Warriors were going to crash it.
Before a delirious crowd of 41,835 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the Bulldogs today beat the Warriors 40-20 to storm to the top of the National Rugby League (NRL) ladder a
week out from the final round.
Three Josh Morris tries within seven minutes before the break sank the Warriors, while veteran winger El Masri delighted his legion of fans with eight goals from eight attempts in his final regular season home match.
A potentially season-ending fractured eye socket to key playmaker Brett Kimmorley was the big downside for the Bulldogs as they march towards the minor premiership.
It was the Warriors' 14th defeat of an awful season, but at least they didn't throw in the towel after being 4-28 down at halftime.
Prop Sam Rapira was their standout with a late tryscoring double, a tally matched by big winger Manu Vatuvei, while halfback Stacey Jones couldn't manufacture a fairytale farewell in his final NRL match on Australian soil.
The Warriors drifted out to $7.50 with Australian bookmakers in the head-to-head market before kickoff despite their impressive 34-20 dispatch of Canberra last week.
But without three of their best players -- captain Steve Price (eye), second rower Simon Mannering (knee) and winger Kevin Locke (hamstring) -- it was always going to be a struggle against an in-form lineup.
El Masri drew the biggest regular season crowd in Sydney since 1974, but it all started promisingly for the visitors and disastrously for the hosts.
Vatuvei notched his 12th try of the season in just the fifth minute after a cutout pass from Rapira.
Warriors centre Jerome Ropati clashed heads with Kimmorley in delivering the final pass and the groggy Bulldogs kingpin was helped off with a bloodied face and a depression in his cheekbone.
He was later diagnosed with a fractured eye socket and was carted away to hospital for scans to check for other cracks, his finals campaign in grave doubt.
The Warriors competed well for the first quarter as the Bulldogs looked shellshocked.
But the familiar handling errors and ill discipline crept in for the Warriors as Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis took charge with a man-of-the- match performance, his grubber finding David Stagg for the hosts' opening try.
It then became the Morris show late in the half as he terrorised the Warriors' right side of Lance Hohaia and Patrick Ah Van.
His first two tries were near identical, after good leadup work from Kiwis aspirant Ben Roberts, and the third a killer blow for the Warriors after the hooter.
A pinpoint Jones bomb was slapped down by Ah Van, but the Bulldogs pounced and Morris raced 90m before El Masri added his sixth goal to make it 28-4.
Vatuvei's second try in the 45th minute, after good offloads from Joel Moon and Wade McKinnon, lifted the Warriors' spirits, but not for long.
When Kiwi Bulldog Greg Eastwood steamed on to an Ennis short ball under the crossbar, it became 34-8 with more than a quarter remaining and the big crowd could afford to start celebrating early.
Bulldogs 40 (Josh Morris 3, David Stagg, Greg Eastwood, Jarrad Hickey tries; Hazem El Masri 8 goals) New Zealand Warriors 20 (Manu Vatuvei 2, Sam Rapira 2 tries; Stacey Jones 2 goals). Halftime: 28-4
- NZPA
41,835 spectators showed up to farewell Bulldogs legend Hazem El Masri in his last home game in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images
This was Hazem El Masri's party, and there was no way the New Zealand Warriors were going to crash it.
Before a delirious crowd of 41,835 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the Bulldogs today beat the Warriors 40-20 to storm to the top of the National Rugby League (NRL) ladder a
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