2009 Bulldogs RLFC season

The 2009 Bulldogs RLFC season was the 75th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 2nd (out of 16), a vast improvement on the previous season, when they came last. The Bulldogs came within one match of the grand final but were knocked out by the Parramatta Eels.

Season summary

After an extremely disappointing 2008 season, in which the club finished with the wooden spoon, 2009 will be a season of rebuilding for the Bulldogs. A number of high-profile new recruits, including Brett Kimmorley, Josh Morris, Michael Ennis, David Stagg and Ben Hannant along with mid-season signing of Greg Eastwood will join the club.

Fixtures

During the regular season, the Bulldogs will play most home games at ANZ Stadium in Homebush. ANZ Stadium is also the home ground of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and one of the home grounds of the Parramatta Eels, so Bulldogs away matches against these two teams will also be played at this venue. Two Bulldogs home games will be played away from Homebush: the Round 11 match against Melbourne will be played at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford, and the Round 19 match against the Gold Coast will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Trial Matches
Trial 1
21 February 2009
7:00pm Local
St. George Illawarra Dragons 24–12 Bulldogs
Tries: Cooper, Nightingale, Thorby, Clarke
Goals: Soward 4/4		 Tries: Utai, Barba
Goals: El Masri 1/1, Ennis 1/1
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Attendance: 7,628
Trial 2
28 February 2009
8:00pm Local
Bulldogs 24–16 Canberra Raiders
Tries: Goodwin, Ennis, Patten, Armit
Goals: Ennis 3/3, El Masri 1/1		 Tries: Monaghan 2, Purtell
Goals: Campese 2/3
Meakin Park, Brisbane

Regular season
Round 1
14 March 2009
7:30pm Local
Bulldogs 34–12 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Tries: Goodwin 2, Idris 2, Morris
Goals: El Masri 7/7		 Tries: Ballin, Lyon
Goals: Orford 2/2
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 19,791
Referee: Cummins, Suttor
Round 2
21 March 2009
7:30pm Local
Penrith Panthers 26–28 Bulldogs
Tries: Waterhouse 2, Aiton, Tighe
Goals: Gordon 5/5		 Tries: Eastwood, Idris, Kimmorley, Roberts, Stagg
Goals: El Masri 4/5
CUA Stadium, Penrith
Attendance: 16,846
Referee: Cecchin, James
Round 3
27 March 2009
7:35pm Local
Gold Coast Titans 20–12 Bulldogs
Tries: Campbell, O'Dwyer, Rogers, Tonga
Goals: Rogers 2/5		 Tries: Goodwin, Ryan
Goals: El Masri 2/3
Skilled Park, Gold Coast
Attendance: 19,854
Referee: Maxwell, Shortall
Round 4
5 April 2009
2:00pm Local
Bulldogs 24–12 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Tries: El Masri, Goodwin, Morris, Ryan
Goals: El Masri 4/4		 Tries: Gallen, Tupou
Goals: Covell 2/2
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 15,520
Referee: Robinson, Sutton
Round 5
13 April 2009
7:00pm Local
Bulldogs 14–12 South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Morris, Ryan
Goals: El Masri 2/2, Ennis 1/1		 Tries: Champion, Pettybourne
Goals: Luke 1/1, Sandow 1/1
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 22,775
Referee: Klein, Suttor
Round 6
19 April 2009
3:00pm Local
Parramatta Eels 18–48 Bulldogs
Tries: Hauraki 2, Hayne
Goals: Burt 3/3		 Tries: Morris 2, Patten 2, El Masri, Goodwin, Hodgson, Kimmorley, Warburton
Goals: El Masri 6/9
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 18,223
Referee: Badger, De Las Heras
Round 7
26 April 2009
2:00pm Local
Canberra Raiders 20–30 Bulldogs
Tries: Monaghan, Purtell, Thompson, Tongue
Goals: Dugan 2/4		 Tries: El Masri, Ennis, Goodwin, Hannant, Millard
Goals: El Masri 5/5
Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Attendance: 10,241
Referee: James, Klein
Round 8
3 May 2009
3:00pm Local
Bulldogs 22–20 Wests Tigers
Tries: El Masri 2, Ennis, Goodwin
Goals: El Masri 3/4		 Tries: Moltzen, Payten, Ryan 2
Goals: Gallant 2/5
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 25,622
Referee: Hayne, De Las Heras
Round 9
9–11 May 2009
. Bye .
Round 10
16 May 2009
7:30pm Local
St. George Illawarra Dragons 20–18 Bulldogs
Tries: Creagh, Poore, Weyman
Goals: Soward 4/4		 Tries: Hannant, Idris, Kimmorley
Goals: El Masri 3/3
Jubilee Oval, Kogarah
Attendance: 18,415
Referee: Archer, Klein
Round 11
22–25 May 2009
7:30pm Local
Bulldogs 26–10 Melbourne Storm
Round 12
29 May - 1 June 2009
3:00pm Local
Newcastle Knights 22–14 Bulldogs
Round 13
5–8 June 2009
. Bye .
Round 14
12–15 June 2009
7:35pm Local
Brisbane Broncos 22–44 Bulldogs
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Man of the Match: Ben Roberts (BUL)
Round 15
19–22 June 2009
7:35pm Local
Bulldogs 19–12 Penrith Panthers
Round 16
26–29 June 2009
7:35pm Local
Bulldogs 30–18 North Queensland Cowboys
Round 17
3–6 July 2009
7:35pm Local
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 19–12 Bulldogs
Round 18
10–13 July 2009
2:00pm Local
New Zealand Warriors 14–18 Bulldogs
Round 19
17–20 July 2009
8:30pm Local
Bulldogs 23–16 Gold Coast Titans
Round 20
24–27 July 2009
5:30pm Local
Bulldogs 8–27 Parramatta Eels
Round 21
31 July - 3 August 2009
3:00pm Local
South Sydney Rabbitohs 18–26 Bulldogs
Round 22
7–10 August 2009
7:30pm Local
Bulldogs 23–20 Canberra Raiders
Round 23
14–17 August 2009
7:35pm Local
North Queensland Cowboys 12–22 Bulldogs
Round 24
21–24 August 2009
7:00pm Local
Bulldogs 28–4 Sydney Roosters
Round 25
28–31 August 2009
3:00pm Local
Bulldogs 40–20 New Zealand Warriors
ANZ Stadium, Homebush
Attendance: 41,835 (record crowd)
Round 26
4–6 September 2009
7:35pm Local
Wests Tigers 34–12 Bulldogs

Finals Series
Qualifying Final
12 September 2009
8:35pm Local
Bulldogs 26–12 Newcastle Knights
Preliminary Final
25 September 2009
7:45pm Local
Bulldogs 12–22 Parramatta Eels

Ladder
2009 NRL season
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 St. George Illawarra Dragons 2417072548329+21938
2 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2418062575428+14738*
3 Gold Coast Titans 2416082514467+4736
4 Melbourne Storm 2414192505348+15733
5 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24140102549459+9032
6 Brisbane Broncos 24140102511566−5532
7 Newcastle Knights 24130112508491+1730
8 Parramatta Eels 24121112476473+329
9 Wests Tigers 24120122558483+7528
10 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24111122566549+1727
11 Penrith Panthers 24111122515589−7427
12 North Queensland Cowboys 24110132558474+8426
13 Canberra Raiders 2490152489520−3122
14 New Zealand Warriors 2472152377565−18820
15 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2450192359568−20914
16 Sydney Roosters 2450192382681−29914

* Bulldogs stripped of 2 competition points after an interchange breach in round 2

2009 squad
No. Position Player
PR Chris Armit
FE Ben Barba
FB Brent Crisp
SR Greg Eastwood
WG Hazem El Masri
HK Michael Ennis
WG Bryson Goodwin
SR Yileen Gordon
PR Ben Hannant
PR Jarrad Hickey
PR Michael Hodgson
FE Daniel Holdsworth
CE Jamal Idris
HB Brett Kimmorley
PR John Kite
No. Position Player
PR Charles Leaneo
CE Daryl Millard
SR Brad Morrin
CE Josh Morris
WG Heka Nanai
FB Luke Patten
FE Ben Roberts
SR Andrew Ryan (c)
LK David Stagg
HK Michael Sullivan
SR Lee Te Maari
WG Matt Utai
SR Gary Warburton
PR Danny Williams
CE Tim Winitana

See also

References
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