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This was Hazem El Masri's party, and there was no way the New
Zealand Warriors were going to crash it.
Before a delirious crowd of 41,835 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the
Bulldogs beat the Warriors 40-20 on Sunday to storm to the top
of the National Rugby League (NRL) ladder a week out from the final
round.
Three Josh Morris tries within seven minutes before the break sank
the Warriors, while veteran winger El Masri delighted his legion of
fans with eight goals from eight attempts in his final regular
season home match.
A potentially season-ending fractured eye socket to key playmaker
Brett Kimmorley was the big downside for the Bulldogs as they march
towards the minor premiership.
It was the Warriors' 14th defeat of an awful season, but at least
they didn't throw in the towel after being 4-28 down at
halftime.
Prop Sam Rapira was their standout with a late tryscoring double, a
tally matched by big winger Manu Vatuvei, while halfback Stacey
Jones couldn't manufacture a fairytale farewell in his final NRL
match on Australian soil.
The Warriors drifted out to $7.50 with Australian bookmakers in the
head-to-head market before kickoff despite their impressive 34-20
dispatch of Canberra last week.
But without three of their best players -- captain Steve Price
(eye), second rower Simon Mannering (knee) and winger Kevin Locke
(hamstring) -- it was always going to be a struggle against an
in-form lineup.
El Masri drew the biggest regular season crowd in Sydney since
1974, but it all started promisingly for the visitors and
disastrously for the hosts.
Vatuvei notched his 12th try of the season in just the fifth minute
after a cutout pass from Rapira.
Warriors centre Jerome Ropati clashed heads with Kimmorley in
delivering the final pass and the groggy Bulldogs kingpin was
helped off with a bloodied face and a depression in his
cheekbone.
He was later diagnosed with a fractured eye socket and was carted
away to hospital for scans to check for other cracks;
leaving his finals campaign in grave doubt.
The Warriors competed well for the first quarter as the Bulldogs
looked shellshocked.
But the familiar handling errors and ill discipline crept in for
the Warriors as Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis took charge with a
man-of-the- match performance, his grubber finding David
Stagg for the hosts' opening try.
It then became the Morris show late in the half as he terrorised
the Warriors' right side of Lance Hohaia and Patrick Ah Van.
His first two tries were near identical, after good leadup work
from Kiwis aspirant Ben Roberts, and the third a killer blow for
the Warriors after the hooter.
A pinpoint Jones bomb was slapped down by Ah Van, but the Bulldogs
pounced and Morris raced 90m before El Masri added his sixth goal
to make it 28-4.
Vatuvei's second try in the 45th minute, after good offloads from
Joel Moon and Wade McKinnon, lifted the Warriors' spirits, but not
for long.
When Kiwi Bulldog Greg Eastwood steamed on to an Ennis short ball
under the crossbar, it became 34-8 with more than a quarter
remaining and the big crowd could afford to start celebrating
early.
