As it happened: Bulldogs surge into top 8; Dolphins scrape home

Media conferences

Eye to the future: They may have come up short but the Storm will take plenty of positives from the performances of debutant Hayden Watson and second-gamer Angus Hinchey while big man Cooper Clarke and No.1 gun Sua Faalogo continue to show their class.

Jethro's jumping: The Bulldogs' left winger is enjoying a sensational season and again stood tall with 190 run metres from 15 runs. Rinakama also broke six tackles and had a couple of line breaks. He is a target for the high balls from his kickers and always makes a contest with the defenders.

Full-time: That's six wins in their past seven games for the Bulldogs who now find themselves inside the top eight while the Storm will miss the finals for the first time since 2010.

78 min: All over at AAMI Park as Stephen Crichton throws a dummy from 15m out and races over for the Dogs' seventh try. Bulldogs 36-22

78 min: Alec MacDonald cops the hip of Max King as he tries to make a tackle and is sent for a HIA.

75 min: Josh King's pass to Trent Toelau is put down and the Storm look to have squandered their last chance at mounting a late surge.

74 min: Stefano Utoikamanu is denied by a superb trysaver by Viliame Kikau.

70 min: A miracle offload by Viliame Kikau with three defenders hanging off him sets up a try for Stephen Crichton to score on the left edge. The skipper fails to convert. Bulldogs 30-22

64 min: A mistake by Kurt Mann hands the Storm a chance but they die with the ball on a poor last-tackle play.

62 min: The Bulldogs hit the front as Stephen Crichton's bomb spills to Matt Burton who does a great job to get the ball away to Josh Curran who dives over. The bunker takes several looks at the contest between Jethro Rinakama and Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown as they look for a touch from Rinakama but the try is confirmed. Crichton converts. Bulldogs 26-22

59 min: Hayden Watson's grubber is cleaned up by Jacob Kiraz who is trapped in-goal. Line dropout.

57 min: Stephen Crichton grubbers and Hayden Watson makes a great catch. Crichton throws him down but goes on with the tackle after the call of 'held'. Storm penalty.

55 min: Trent Toelau goes on report for a high shot on Enari Tuala and the Bulldogs are inside the red zone.

51 min: A loose pass out of dummy half by Bailey Hayward rolls along the turf to Matt Burton who toes it into the in-goal and touches down for the hitback try. Stephen Crichton fails to convert. Storm 22-20

50 min: The Storm again make an error straight after points when Oryn Keeley puts it down.

49 min: We are back to 12 on 12 as Bailey Hayward returns from the bin.

48 min: On the back of a darting run by Hayden Watson it's Tyran Wishart jumping into dummy half and making 25 metres before offloading for Angus Hinchey to score. Nick Meaney converts. Storm 22-16

47 min: The Storm throw a loose pass on the edge which is lost backwards by Moses Leo before Enari Tuala tries to pick it up but knocks it on.

44 min: Lachlan Galvin takes his eyes off the ball and comes up with a knock on as he prepares to launch a last-tackle kick. The Storm go inside Bulldogs territory.

Jaeman's the man: Bulldogs lock Jaeman Salmon got through a power of work in the first half and came up with just the second try double of his career. Salmon made 103 run metres and had two line breaks while also racking up 27 tackles.

Freakish Faalogo: Another sensational 40 minutes from the Storm fullback with 103 run metres, three tackle breaks, a try assist and a try. If the Storm are to go on and cause an upset much will revolve around their No.1 gun.

Half-time: We go to the break all square and the Storm will have an extra man for the first eight minutes of the second half. The Storm completed 19 of 22 sets at 86 per cent while the Bulldogs were 15 of 19 at 78 per cent.

40 min: Trent Toelau goes left and finds Sua Faalogo whose speed and footwork creates space and he sends it on to Moses Leo for a try in the corner. Nick Meaney's conversion comes up just short. 16-16 

39 min: Cooper Clarke offloads for Trent Toelau who grubbers into the in-goal and is impeded by Bailey Hayward in the chase. Hayward is sin binned for a professional foul. The Storm take a tap and keep the pressure on.

36 min: Jacob Kiraz heads for the corner but Sua Faalogo comes across in cover and manages to force him into touch just short of the tryline.

34 min: An electric kick return from Sua Faalogo has the Storm on the front foot. Hayden Watson grubbers for the in-goal, Nick Meaney chases hard and gets a fingertip to the ball as the Bulldogs make it dead. The Bulldogs come out of trouble.

31 min: Jaeman Salmon takes on the line from close range and steamrolls Josh King to score under the posts. A great start to the game for Salmon but that's a soft try let in by the Storm. Stephen Crichton converts. Bulldogs 16-12

28 min: Alec MacDonald puts the ball down coming out of his own end and the Dogs have a scrum 20m out.

25 min: Stephen Crichton goes down a short side and sends a pass to Jethro Rinakama who dives into the corner. Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown tried to disrupt the pass but came up empty and left Rinakama with a free run to the line. Crichton misses the conversion from touch. Storm 12-10

24 min: Oryn Keeley is penalised and placed on report for late contact on Stephen Crichton after he had passed the ball.

23 min: Stefano Utoikamanu comes up with an error in the play-the-ball straight from the kick-off and the Storm are under the pump.

21 min: Sua Faalogo has a 15th try of the season courtesy of a neat grubber by Trent Toelau from 10m out. The fullback shows electric pace in the chase to get past Enari Tuala and dot down. Nick Meaney converts. Storm 12-6

19 min: The Bulldogs make space on the right and Jaeman Salmon puts in a grubber which Enari Tuala taps back infield but the ball hits a Bulldogs player in an offside position. Storm penalty.

16 min: The Bulldogs hit back after Viliame Kikau powers his way into space before he offloads for Stephen Crichton who sends it on to Jaeman Salmon for a try. Crichton converts. 6-6

14 min: A clever kick by Lachlan Galvin forces Sua Faalogo to make the ball dead. The Storm go with a short dropout and Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown comes up with the ball.

13 min: Joe Chan tries to burrow over from dummy half but he is penalised for using Cooper Clarke as an obstruction after Clarke had played the ball.

11 min: Debutant Hayden Watson grubbers and Stephen Crichton traps the ball but knocks it on. Storm scrum from 10m out.

10 min: Sua Faalogo grubbers on the right edge, Jethro Rinakama gets a hand to it and the ball rolls into the in-goal where the Dogs make it dead for a line dropout.

8 min: Moses Leo leaves the field for a HIA which he passes.

7 min: Trent Toelau goes to the air, Moses Leo climbs high and brings down a good catch before showing great strength to get the ball down despite Connor Tracey's best efforts to deny him. Nick Meaney converts. Storm 6-0

5 min: Max King is placed on report for high contact on Moses Leo.

5 min: A superb take under all sorts of pressure by Sua Faalogo and the Storm then come out of trouble after Bailey Hayward is penalised for a strip.

Late Mail

Storm: Gun halfback Jahrome Hughes is a late withdrawal due to hamstring soreness in a big blow for the Storm. He is replaced by 19-year-old debutant Hayden Watson. In the hooking role, Trent Toelau has been promoted to start in place of Harry Grant (hamstring). Manaia Waitere comes in at centre for Jack Howarth, who suffered a shoulder injury at training. Josh King will captain Storm for the first time. The bench includes a potential first-grade debut for Queensland U19 hooker Jai Bowden.

Bulldogs: Sean O'Sullivan and Jonathan Sua are late inclusions on the bench. No changes to Cameron Ciraldo's starting side as they chase a fifth win in their past six games. Experienced utility Kurt Mann is back on the bench after missing two games due to a facial injury. Winger Jacob Kiraz has scored five tries in his last five games against the Storm.

Numbers Game

• The Storm have won 10 of their last 12 games against the Bulldogs.
• The Bulldogs have won only one of their last six games at AAMI Park.
• The Storm have won five in a row at AAMI Park.
• Bulldogs winger Jacob Kiraz has scored five tries in his last five games against the Storm.
• Storm winger Moses Leo has scored six tries in his last seven games.

 

Dragons v Dolphins at WIN Stadium

Media conferences

Ageless Dragons: Clint Gutherson and Val Holmes have found the going tough at times in 2026 but they were up for the fight tonight as they combined for 42 runs and 419 metres. Gutherson bagged a try and had three line break assists for good measure.

Full-time: They were pushed all the way but the Dolphins do enough to come with a 12th win of the season. A top-four berth is well and truly on the cards for the Dolphins with their main man Isaiya Katoa back on deck.

79 min: The Dragons play hot potato with their last chance at forcing golden point. Moses Suli is tackled on the final play but the Dragons challenge and allege a knock on by the Dolphins earlier in the play. The bunker rules Hamish Stewart was in front of the kicker when the ball was hoisted high. The Dolphins receive a penalty and will hang on for a six-point win.

78 min: Ryan Couchman gets his first NRL try courtesy of a nice short ball from Kyle Flanagan close to the line. Val Holmes converts. Dolphins 28-22

74 min: Jacob Halangahu comes up with a poor error with the Dragons on the attack.

70 min: The Dragons find space again on the left but Isaiya Katoa gets a hand in and knocks a pass down and dives on the scraps and races away. The touch by Katoa appeared to travel foward but the referee rules it went backwards. Four plays later Tom Flegler gets across the line for a try from close range. Dolphins 28-16

63 min: The Dragons shift to the left and Lyhkan King-Togia floats a ball over to Tyrell Sloan who scoots down the touchline and finds Hamish Stewart backing up and he sends it on to Clint Gutherson for a much-needed try which Val Holmes converts. Dolphins 22-16

60 min: Val Holmes grubbers and the ball bounces off Isaiya Katoa into Ray Stone in an offside position. The accidental offside hands the Dragons another chance.

54 min: Isaiya Katoa, Kodi Nikorima and Herbie Farnworth are just too slick on the left edge and Selwyn Cobbo finishes the movement off to make it 10 tries in his last seven games. Jamayne Isaako converts. Dolphins 22-10

52 min: More heat on the Dragons as Kodi Nikorima picks up Herbie Farnworth on the left edge but Setu Tu and Moses Suli manage to stop him.

50 min: Selwyn Cobbo looks to have a try at his mercy but he stumbles as he gets to the line and Clint Gutherson gets across to deny him and the ball comes free. Dragons scrum.

48 min: Emre Guler is penalised and placed on report for dropping an elbow on Tom Gilbert on the ground.

47 min: Val Holmes picks off a pass from Isaiya Katoa and sets off upfield. He makes 50 metres before attempting an ambitious long pass out to Setu Tu but the ball goes forward.

45 min: Josh Kerr comes up with an error close to the Dolphins line and the opportunity is squandered by the Red V.

44 min: Val Holmes is dragged back as he tries to loom in support of Clint Gutherson and the Dragons get a penalty.

43 min: Tom Gilbert makes a meal of the play-the-ball and the Dragons get an early shot at points. 

Selwyn win situation: The Dolphins' powerhouse winger took his season tally to 11 tries with a long-range special and racked up 143 metres from 10 runs. Cobbo had two line breaks and two tackle breaks as the Dragons struggled to keep him in check.

Half-time: The Dragons completed 19 of 21 sets at 90 per cent to keep themselves in the match against a Dolphins outfit that could only manage a 66 per cent completion rate.

40 min: A late shot at points for the Dragons but Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is on hand to clean up a Kyle Flanagan kick and shut the play down.

35 min: The Dolphins' left edge strikes again on the back of a long run from Kurt Donoghoe. Slick hands from Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima before Herbie Farnworth takes on the line and comes up with a freakish offload for Ray Stone to score. Jamayne Isaako converts. Dolphins 16-10

33 min: A chance for the Dolphins but Selwyn Cobbo comes up with an error.

32 min: A high tackle penalty against Josh Kerr allows the Dolphins an easy out from their own end.

26 min: Toby Couchman leaves the field for a HIA which he fails and is ruled out for the rest of the night.

25 min: The Dolphins come up with a try from 60m out as Jack Bostock crabs across field and delivers a short ball for Selwyn Cobbo to explode into space and fend off Clint Gutherson on his way to the tryline. Cobbo in full flight is a sight to behold and he is too big and too strong for the Dragons fullback. Jamayne Isaako misses the conversion. 10-10 

21 min: Tyrell Sloan continues his tryscoring form with Kyle Flanagan and Clint Gutherson combining before Val Holmes delivers the final pass for his winger to dive over in the left corner. That's six tries in his past six games for Sloan. The conversion is good from Holmes. Dragons 10-6

19 min: Jeremy Marshall-King's pass out of dummy half for Kodi Nikorima is ruled forward and the Dragons go inside the red zone.

16 min: Selwyn Cobbo climbs high to take a bomb and lands awkwardly. Setu Tu is penalised for taking his legs out.

15 min: Herbie Farnworth delivers the final pass for Selwyn Cobbo to dive over in the corner but replays show the winger's elbow touched the ground simultaneously with the grounding and it's no try.

14 min: Herbie Farnworth steals the ball off Moses Suli and the Dolphins go straight onto the attack. 

12 min: The home side hit back after Kyle Flanagan and Clint Gutherson combine on the right edge to put Setu Tu over in the corner. Val Holmes fails to convert. Dolphins 6-4

10 min: The Dolphins look sharp on the left edge again but Isaiya Katoa's pass is behind Kodi Nikorima and it goes to ground.

8 min: The Dragons receive a penalty for a strip by Morgan Knowles and Damien Cook tries to take a quick tap and race away but he is pulled back because Toby Couchman was in front of him when he tapped it.

6 min: A brilliant offload from Connelly Lemuelu sends Kodi Nikorima on his way and the five-eighth picks up Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in support for the game's opening try. Jamayne Isaako converts. Dolphins 6-0

3 min: Lyhkan King-Togia goes to the air and Jamayne Isaako comes up with a safe catch as the teams trade sets early.

Late Mail

Dragons: A couple of key changes for the Dragons with Lyhkan King-Togia starting at five-eighth and Moses Suli promoted to start in the centres with Mat Feagai dropping out. Dan Atkinson goes to the bench which also includes late inclusion Emre Guler. Winger Tyrell Sloan has scored five tries in his last five games. 

Dolphins: Gun playmaker Isaiya Katoa has come into the side 90 minutes before kick-off in his return from a wrist injury. Brad Schneider moves back to the bench. The return of centre Jack Bostock from concussion sees Selwyn Cobbo go back to the wing. Jake Averillo (ribs) and Ray Stone (shoulder) return from injury via the bench.

Numbers Game

• The Dragons have conceded 158 points in four straight losses at WIN Stadium.
• The Dolphins have won three of their last four games against the Dragons.
• Dragons winger Tyrell Sloan has scored five tries in his last five games.
• Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has scored six tries in his last three games against the Dragons.
• Dragons centre Valentine Holmes has scored six tries in eight games at WIN Stadium.