It was one of the Dogs’ greatest ever wins ... but ‘pissed off’ Braith Anasta thought they’d blown it
There was a special breed of Bulldogs in the early 2000s.
The likes of Brent ‘Shifty’ Sherwin, Braith Anasta, Hazem El Masri, Willie Mason – the list could go on and on. We also can’t forget about a baby-faced Johnathan Thurston breaking into the NRL via a blue and white jersey.
The team was unbelievably strong from 2001 to 2004. They won 17 consecutive games in ‘02 and were the ones to beat. Until 37 points were stripped of them for breaching the salary cap.
The Roosters won it that year.
Come 2003, the Bulldogs were determined to prove to themselves, their fans and the Roosters that they could have – or should have if you want to look at it that way – been the 2002 premiers.
A rivalry was brewing and in Round 9, 2003 the Bulldogs got their chance against the defending premiers.
The game was dubbed by commentators as the grand final we never saw – although ironically we did see it the following year.
It’s a game that every Doggies fan remembers. The Bulldogs faithful’s chants of ‘we are the premiers’ echoed in ANZ Stadium and carried on well after the game in the carpark.
And who could blame them after that spectacular finish.
Tied up at 26-all with just one minute left on the clock, the Dogs were in prime field goal position. Sherwin darted in at dummy-half and went left instead of right to a screaming Anasta who was ready to lodge one over the black dot.
Anasta threw his hands up in frustration thinking they’ve just wasted their one shot.
But what happened next is pure magic.
Sherwin threw the ball out to Utai on the wing who beat four Roosters to score THAT iconic slam dunk try.
17 years later, Fox League expert Braith Anasta recalls that match-winning last play.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he told Fox Sports.
“Obviously that was early in my career and I loved the field goal. I always put myself in a position to get it and I backed myself – I had already kicked a few before that.
“I was in the perfect position off a quick play the ball and I’ll never forget it. I was screaming for it and it went to ‘Shifty’ and I’m thinking ‘NO, it’s the last play of the game.’
“I was always one of those guys that you could read how I was feeling on the field so it was obvious that I was pissed off.
“Then it turned from agony to ecstasy. I remember being like ‘NO!,’ then all of a sudden ‘YES!’ as I ran over to Matty (Utai).
“It was honestly one of the best individual tries you’ll see and under pressure, it was huge.”
The nuggety Utai was Mr. Reliable out on the left edge. He scored 27 tries for the Bulldogs in 2003 and Anasta says as an underrated player this particular game showed just how good Utai was.
“He was the go-to. He was a totally different player to the wingers these days.
“These days you kick for your wingers, they’re 6ft 2 to 6ft 4, but he was just a powerhouse.
“He was so strong and because had a low centre of gravity they couldn’t really tackle him. They had to go high on him and if you went high on him he just brushed you off he’s that strong.
“He did these sort of plays often, nearly every week and he came up with some huge ones for us.
“He was probably an underrated player I reckon and this play and this game is probably a good indication of how good he was.”
It wasn’t uncommon for gloating Bulldogs fans to chant during a game and afterwards too in the carpark.
Among all of the highs he’s had in his career, Anasta still remembers the ‘we are the premiers’ chant that erupted at full time.
“Yeah, of course (I remember). That’s what it was all about, the rivalry was relentless,” he said.
“We were close to unbeatable (in 2002) so the next couple of years after we wanted blood, we wanted to get that premiership and the Roosters were standing in our way so that was why these games that we played were always so big.”
The 2003 and 2004 Bulldogs team came back from the salary cap scandal with a vengeance. They were hurting – but hungry – and Anasta reveals the extent the players went to, to keep building towards a premiership.
“It was horrible,” Anasta said of the 2002 salary cap breach.
“Some may argue we were the best team in the comp.
“We didn’t know as players but we were found to be cheating the salary cap so to come back the next year and a lot of people didn’t realise it, but we all took pay cuts at the time to stay together because we knew we had the team to win a premiership so we wanted to try and stick together.
“Obviously with the Roosters winning in 2002, we already had an epic rivalry with them at that time so we wanted to get it back and we thought that was ours.
“In hindsight I actually went (to the Roosters), but I’m talking for real at that time that should have been ours we were the best team that year and we wanted to make sure we got the job done in that period of time ‘03, ‘04 whatever it may have been while we had the team there so it was really big for us.”
And they did get it done. The Bulldogs beat their rivals, the Roosters 16-13 in the 2004 grand final.
Utai scored a double and in similar fate to that 2003 match, the Dogs’ other winger El Masri rolled over two Roosters to score the match-winner and seal the premiership.
Watch the Bulldogs and Roosters’ 2003 classic — part of Fox League’s Classics series — called LIVE on Saturday April 4 from 5pm AEDT on Fox League 502.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...t/news-story/dd2641d7aec8f1d5406e9be4d11514ce
