Bulldogs go five straight with brutal shutout of Knights | NRL

The Bulldogs marched to their best start to an NRL season since 1993 with a gritty 20-0 win over the Newcastle Knights, extending their unbeaten run to 5-0 and returning to the top of the ladder.

But the scoreline didn’t tell the full story of a bruising battle at Accor Stadium, where a depleted Newcastle Knights side earned the respect of even the opposition coach.

Bulldogs mentor Cameron Ciraldo praised his squad’s “professional” response to a clunky first half, describing the second stanza as “more our style of game” and highlighting his side’s defensive resolve.

“If I could sum up our performance, I thought it was just really professional,” Ciraldo said.

“I’m really happy with how our defence is building and getting better every week.”

Josh Curran opened the floodgates early in the second half before rookie Jack Todd barged over moments after Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland was sin-binned for a blatant trip on Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton.

NRL Round 5 Review: Bulldogs v Knights

Kurt Mann iced the win with a try in his 200th NRL game, capping a night Ciraldo called “very pleasing” but not quite a dream performance.

“There’s a lot to celebrate tonight… getting a zero is always really important,” Ciraldo said.

“But we’ll look back and think there’s a lot of things we could have done better.”

For the Knights, it was a night of mounting injuries and immense courage.

They were reduced to 15 fit players inside three minutes after James Schiller (HIA) and Jacob Saifiti (calf) both went down.

Jack Hetherington (shoulder) and Jack Cogger (HIA) later joined them on the casualty list, forcing several young players to step up in key roles.

• 

  Fast Payouts

Knights captain Kalyn Ponga admitted the execution wasn’t there, but couldn’t fault the heart shown.

“We’ve won before and I haven’t been that proud of the performance. We didn’t get the result tonight, but I’m really proud of them,” Ponga said.

“Some boys stepped out of their comfort zone… had to play 80 for us with no prep.”

Despite the injuries, Ponga said the Knights showed a glimpse of their DNA.

“The foundations of being a gritty team are back. I don’t reckon we had that the first three weeks.”

He also revealed that Saifiti suffered a torn calf while running onto the field and that Crossland’s sin bin stint resulted in “eight minutes of live ball” where the Knights held firm under relentless pressure.

“Those are the sort of things we can take forward,” Ponga said.

“Yeah, we’re disappointed with the scoreboard, but there’s a lot of effort to be proud of.”

The Bulldogs will now enjoy a bye before a blockbuster Good Friday clash with South Sydney, with Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau expected to return.

For the Knights, the challenge now becomes managing a mounting injury toll ahead of a Round 6 clash with the Wests Tigers where they are currently a $1.52 favourite to win the top NRL bookmakers.

Sports news