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Bulldogs coach needs beer after NRL loss

3 minute read

Canterbury's inability to close out a victory against Wests Tigers has left the Bulldogs' frustrated interim coach Steve Georgallis thirsty for a beer.

With only two NRL wins all season, Canterbury are staring down the barrel of only their third wooden spoon in more than half a century.

It's enough to drive interim coach Steve Georgallis to the drink.

Georgallis was left exasperated after the Bulldogs snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a crushing 29-28 loss to Wests Tigers on Sunday.

"I need a beer," Georgallis said after the Bulldogs turned a 16-point first-half deficit into a six-point lead with 10 minutes remaining only to somehow lose without even going to extra time.

"It's just one of those years where, I don't know, maybe someone ran over a cat.

"It's tough to take.

"The players, their effort has always been there, there's just instances of the game where we just need to be a bit smarter.

"We talked about that after the game.

"Their effort's been there all year.

"They just need to be smarter with parts of their game. They're learning.

"Unfortunately it didn't get us the win."

Once again, Canterbury could have leapfrogged Brisbane with a win to move off the foot of the ladder.

Instead the Bulldogs head into the final six rounds favoured to claim their first spoon since 2008 - and only their second without an asterisk since 1964 given their last-place finish in 2002 came after being docked 37 competition points for salary-cap breaches.

Canterbury play the Warriors next Sunday at ANZ Stadium and will look set to do so without prop Dylan Napa.

The former Queensland State of Origin front-rower is facing a one-game even with an early guilty plea on a grade one dangerous contact charge after leading with his head into a two-man tackle that crunched the Tigers' Sam McIntyre.

Napa, suspended for a similar offence in 2018 while playing for the Sydney Roosters, will only be free to play the Warriors if he contests the charge successfully at the judiciary.

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