Bulldogs Suffer Third Consecutive Defeat in NRL Clash
Canterbury’s struggling attack once again failed to make an impact as the Bulldogs suffered a 28-12 loss against North Queensland at Accor Stadium. This defeat marked their third straight loss on Friday, with the Cowboys securing a crucial win that could help head coach Todd Payten extend his contract.
Payten’s team has been one of the most entertaining and high-scoring sides in the 2026 NRL season. However, they opted for a more defensive approach during this match, relying on their strong defense to secure their sixth win in seven games. The Cowboys were forced to defend 43 Canterbury play-the-balls within their own 20m zone throughout the game.
Despite this, the Bulldogs managed to score two tries. The first came from a solo effort by halfback Lachlan Galvin, who broke through the Cowboys’ defense in the seventh minute. The second try was scored by back-rower Josh Curran, who capitalized on an error by Zac Laybutt to pick up an aerial bomb.
“There’s no doubt that we’re going to have to be more resilient as a group when we defend and we showed that tonight and have shown it in periods through this year,” said Payten. “The thing I also like is how consistent we’ve been getting out of our own end and not making the errors and putting us under pressure there. Everyone’s contributing and that was a real team performance tonight.”
Meanwhile, Canterbury’s coach Cameron Ciraldo has faced criticism for the lack of attacking cohesion in his team. The debate over the Bulldogs’ spine intensified this week after NRL Immortal Andrew Johns questioned Galvin’s ability to perform as the halfback alongside Matt Burton.
“The way we finished to let in three really soft tries is not good enough,” Ciraldo said. “We’re in a bit of a spot at the moment where clearly we’re a bit low on confidence and we need to remember that there was a lot of good stuff in that first 60 minutes.”
Galvin has continued to find ways to score over recent weeks, but his efforts were not enough to turn the tide for the Bulldogs. The Cowboys took control of the game, leading 12-6 at halftime. Reuben Cotter applied pressure on a Tom Dearden grubberkick, while former Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney set up fullback Scott Drinkwater with a short ball.
Curran made the most of Laybutt’s mistake to tie the game at 12-12 in the 52nd minute. Despite this, the Cowboys managed to create a gap in the final stages of the game. A damaging run from Jason Taumalolo helped them open up a lead that Canterbury could not close.
Tom Chester made a surging run through a switched-off Canterbury defense, offloading to Drinkwater for his second try. Jake Clifford and Braidon Burns both scored in the final five minutes, adding to the Bulldogs’ woes as many fans left the stadium early.
The only negative for the Cowboys was the injury to back-rower Jeremiah Nanai, who suffered a recurrence of a shoulder issue requiring off-season surgery. “He (Nanai) is going to get a scan but it’s really disappointing for him because he’s worked super hard… it’s not great,” Payten said.
