The Bulldogs finish a 44-12 thumping of the Dragons on a run of seven unanswered tries as they kick off NRL Indigenous Round on Burramattagal and Wann-gal land at the Olympic stadium.
Matt Burton did his utmost to push for selection as New South Wales’s State of Origin five-eighth, with two tries, 20 points and more than 400 kicking metres.
Jaeman Salmon and Jacob Kiraz also got doubles for the Dogs as they turned around a 12-6 deficit, while the Dragons’ night was made even worse by the loss of centre Jack Bird to a nasty ankle injury.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan opened his post-match press conference looking like a defeated man, reflecting on his journey from winning the 2016 premiership with Cronulla to now.
“Last time I was in this room I’d won a comp. How things have changed,” he said, dropping his head to the table.
“It’s so bad you’ve got to try and laugh about it.”
Zac Lomax, vying for a wing spot for the Blues in Origin I on June 5, was sin-binned for a professional foul in the 63rd minute as the game got out of hand.
