Playing at home the Bulldogs came out all guns ablaze and after 15 minutes had the Panthers on the back foot, rattling up three tries for a 14-to-nil lead.

The Panthers finally got on the board in the 20th minute with a converted try to make it 14-6 but the Doggies again extended their lead five minutes later when the dynamic Adam Pascoe forced his way over from dummy half to make it 18-6.

The final 10 minutes of the first half was won 10 to six by the Panthers but at half time they still had a lot of work to do, trailing 24 to 16.

The general consensus during the break was that the visitors were still in the game, with their high level of fitness being viewed as an important factor in deciding the final result. With just 13 minutes to go it looked as if this opinion may have been borne out as the Panthers hit the lead for the first time at 38 to 36, and with both sides keen to throw the ball around the stage was set for a thrilling finish.

Cheered on by a vocal crowd the Bulldogs applied intense pressure in attack and finally, with just four minutes to go, Pascoe managed to swivel out of some desperate goal line defence to score a try that saw the Doggies back in front once again. In a tense final few minutes the Panthers blew a try after an attacking raid down the left flank came undone when the final pass went to ground and the determined Bulldogs had secured themselves a memorable and well-deserved win, taking the game 42 to 38.

The win was vital to their semi-final aspirations and sets the scene for what should be a sensational game against second-placed Coonamble at Warren this Saturday.

The Bears made short work of the Baradine Magpies at Coonamble last Saturday, taking the game 54 to 18 after establishing a commanding 30-to-10 lead in the first stanza. The win sees the Bears still in the hunt for minor premiership honours with a great deal hinging on the result of their clash with Warren this week.