Canterbury top the NRL after 20-6 win at Shark Park

Canterbury are the only unbeaten team in the NRL after a gritty 20-6 upset of Cronulla at Shark Park on Saturday night, marking the Bulldogs’ first 4-0 start to a season since 1993.

Despite missing stars Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau, the Bulldogs delivered a clinical and disciplined performance, silencing the home crowd and climbing to the top of the ladder with a statement win at $3.60 odds with the top NRL bookmakers.

Former Shark Bronson Xerri came back to haunt his old club, scoring two tries and wreaking havoc down the right edge.

It was his first game back at Shark Park since his suspension in 2019, and he showed no signs of nerves.

“Bronson just impresses me more every week,” Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said.

“He’s working hard on his craft, and we’re challenging him to bring back more of those talent plays to go with his work ethic. Nothing fazed him tonight — I thought he was brilliant.”

NRL Round 4: Sharks v Bulldogs highlights

The Bulldogs opened the scoring through Jacob Preston off a sharp short ball from Bailey Hayward, who impressed in just his second NRL start.

The Sharks responded with a try to Kayal Iro off a Nicho Hynes pass, but Canterbury hit back through Xerri to lead 8-6 at the break.

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Canterbury took control early in the second half, with captain Stephen Crichton crossing before Xerri crashed over for his second, using brute strength to muscle his way past defenders.

“We knew it would take an 80-minute performance,” Crichton said post-match.

“Our boys just kept turning up. Those little one-percent efforts were everywhere tonight.”

The match was full of effort and intensity, with Harry Hayes and Marcelo Montoya pulling off game-defining, try-saving tackles.

Sitili Tupouniua was sin-binned after the final siren for a reckless late shot, while Reed Mahoney was twice placed on report.

Mahoney shrugged off concerns post-match, saying, “It’s a tough sport, mate. We knew it would be a dogfight, and we just kept turning up. That’s what we’re about.”

Ciraldo praised his side’s resilience after a six-day turnaround and a disrupted preparation.

“We didn’t get a lot of training in, but the boys were locked in,” he said.

“We came here to find out where we’re at. We got a pretty good answer.”

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon admitted his side were outplayed.

“They just outworked us,” he said.

“We didn’t execute, and they made us pay. We were always chasing the game.”

The Bulldogs now turn their attention to clashes against Newcastle as the $1.45 rugby league betting favourites, while Cronulla faces six straight weeks on the road — and plenty to fix.

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