BULLDOGS OVERWHELM BARBARIANS FOR DIVISION ONE TITLE

Northern Bulldogs broke down Ashburton Barbarians’ impressive early resistance to run away with the CRL Division One grand final 40-20 at Ngā Puna Wai.

Experienced campaigners Nathaniel Tirikatene and Cameron Godfrey both scored two tries in a dominant Bulldogs display.

The bruising Barbarians made an outstanding start, with winger David Toala blazing away for a long-range try to complement his team’s goal-line steel without the ball.

But a classy solo effort from hooker Tirikatene put the Bulldogs on the board in the 18th minute, before Godfrey crossed twice in quick succession.

Rawiri Mansfield landed a hammer blow to the Barbarians when he reached out to score just before halftime creating a 20-4 scoreline.

Canterbury Rugby League Grand Final Day 2022 11/08/24
Photographer: Matthew Musson/MattyLouisPhotography

Two more unanswered tries and a penalty goal put the trophy out of reach at 34-4, but Ashburton finished with plenty of spirit to score three late tries.

Tirikatene capped a superb game by crossing for his second four-pointer in the dying minutes and landing the conversion for a 20-point haul.

2024 CRL DIVISION ONE GRAND FINAL

Northern Bulldogs 40 (Nathaniel Tirikatene 2, Cameron Godfrey 2, Rawiri Mansfield, Kurt Williams, Armstrong Beedles tries; Tirikatene 6 goals) defeated Ashburton Barbarians 20 (David Toala, Ofisa Taelega, Taulangi Daniel, Nathan Robinson tries; Pukenga Pukenga, Robinson goals) at Ngā Puna Wai.