Dominic BrockUpdated May 30, 2026 — 6:19pm,first published 5:00pmYour say: Tigers or Bulldogs?By Latest Posts6.19pmBula try-saver denies Crichton in final minute of first halfBy Leo Thompson and Alex Twal meet with a huge hit and Thompson loses the ball, in what looks like a huge moment for the Tigers with a minute left in the first half. But the Bulldogs use a captain’s challenge, alleging Twal made a shoulder charge – and the bunker agrees. Big turnaround there, with Canterbury getting a penalty rather than defending inside their own half.And that moment is even bigger now, with the penalty leading to a big Sitili Tupouniua charge down the right. He offloads to Stephen Crichton who carries a couple of defenders over the tryline.But wait! Replays suggest Crichton didn’t get the ball down, with Jahream Bula pulling off a sensational try-saving tackle. Crichton actually loses the ball into Bula while attempting to score, and that will be just about be the end of the half.Tigers 16, Bulldogs 6 after 39 minutes6.13pmTRY: Kiraz wonder try gets Bulldogs back in itBy Jahream Bula can be brilliant in attack but he has a bit of a brain explosion now, retrieving a Matt Burton kick then throwing a wild pass over the head of his teammate, forcing Heamasi Makasini back to retrieve the ball before a few Bulldogs chasers. Makasini has already had one head knock and gone off for an HIA (he passed, obviously) and now has his head caught a little awkwardly in the tackle and needs to take a moment to continue playing.The Tigers get through the set but the Bulldogs charge back into their half with a big Sitili Tupouniua carry and offload to Jacob Kiraz, who shrugs out of a Alex Seyfarth tackle then beats Bula to score a terrific try. Fantastic stuff from Kiraz, who is making a big impression at fullback and could make the position his own.Tigers 16, Bulldogs 6 after 38 minutes6.03pmTRY: Bula goes over as Tigers build up healthy leadBy It’s all clicking for the Tigers now. A lovely passing movement to the right is executed perfectly with Jarome Luai switching to the right side and linking up with Kai Pearce-Paul. The big second-rower gets his nose through the line and offloads for a charging Jahream Bula who scores.The Tigers have defended their line well and their attack has been on point in the Bulldogs’ red zone, and they have a healthy lead now.Tigers 16, Bulldogs 0 after 30 minutes6.00pmBulldogs attacks snuffed out by Mann error, Luai leapBy The Tigers are defending their own tryline after a Bronson Xerri line break, and the Bulldogs receive another set when Kurt Mann is caught napping at dummy-half and a Tigers defender pounces on the ball – only for Alex Twal to be penalised for lying in (or at least near) the ruck. But Mann lets the Tigers off the hook with a wild pass in front of Matt Burton, and it’s a turnover.Canterbury are again dominating the territorial battle now and they go on the attack again, but Lachie Galvin’s bomb into the in-goal is defused by a leaping Jarome Luai.Tigers 10, Bulldogs 0 after 26 minutes5.53pmWatch: Skelton finishes off Tigers counter-attackBy 5.51pmTRY: Tavana soars to score Tigers’ secondBy The Tigers may not be at full-strength these days but the new faces are stepping up at the moment, fill-in halfback Jock Madden sending a nice bomb in the direction of rookie winger Faaletino Tavana, who soars high to bring it down and score his team’s second try of the night.Madden’s conversion attempt goes wide but this is a very good start for Benji Marshall’s men.Tigers 10, Bulldogs 0 after 19 minutes5.48pmMakasini off for HIA, Luai sidesteps GalvinBy Teenage Tigers centre Heamasi Makasini has gone off for a head injury assessment after copping a head clash from Sitili Tupouniua, with Starford To’a replacing him in the backline.Both teams are popping offloads now while completing just about all of their sets – the one error from Xerri leading to the Tigers’ try.A big left-foot step from Jarome Luai sends Lachie Galvin sprawling on the turf as Luai splits the Bulldogs’ defensive line, much to the joy of the pro-Tigers crowd, but a pass goes astray and Canterbury comes away with it.The Dogs start to put some pressure on but Leo Thompson runs onto a Matt Burton pass and is hit hard by Sione Fainu, losing the ball in the process.Tigers 6, Bulldogs 0 after 15 minutes5.42pmTRY: Tigers counter-attack fast after Xerri errorBy The Bulldogs receive back-to-back six-agains and look set to go into Tigers territory but a Bronson Xerri fumble allows the Tigers to count-attack. And they do quickly – Sunia Turuva runs to the Dogs’ 30-metre line, Terrell May makes it past the 20 and offloads, and the Tigers send it wide to the left for Jeral Skelton to score the game’s opening try.Jock Madden’s sideline conversion attempt is right on target.Wests Tigers 6, Bulldogs 0 after 10 minutesJeral Skelton celebrates a try against the Bulldogs.Getty Images5.35pmBurton, Galvin test out Tigers with early bombsBy A Leo Thompson offload and a strong run from Jacob Kiraz give the Bulldogs the chance to make the first attacking kick of the night, and Matt Burton sends it up high. Tigers winger Faaletino Tavana is under a lot of pressure but brings the bomb down safely and is immediately smashed by two or three chasing defenders.The Dogs are winning the early territorial battle and Lachie Galvin puts up the next bomb – the crowd boos loudly every time he touches the ball – but Heamasi Makasini defuses this one.Tigers 0, Bulldogs 0 after four minutes5.31pmKick-off timeBy The teams are out on the field now, with all eyes on the big-name playmakers. Can Matt Burton repeat last week’s masterclass? Will Lachie Galvin thrive against the club he left in acrimonious circumstances last year? Will Api Koroisau show he’s deserving of a NSW Origin call-up in place of the injured Blake Brailey? What about the Blues’ forgotten man Jarome Luai, still the main man in attack for the Tigers?The returns of Koroisau and Jahream Bula should give the Tigers a real boost after three straight losses. They get first use of the ball as the Bulldogs kick this one off.1 of 2