Kangaroos Thrash Bulldogs to Qualify for 2026 Decider
Queanbeyan Kangaroos have qualified for the 2026 Canberra Raiders Cup Grand Final in dominant fashion defeating the Goulburn City Bulldogs 58-0, booking themselves a matchup with cross-town rivals, the Blues.
With conditions perfect for footy in September, both teams looked to work through the gears in their opening sets.
Having made a late move into the halves, Adam Quinlan took matters into his own hands to find the first points of the afternoon, cleaning up his own kick.
Having turned the ball over on their first set following points, the Roo’s rallied together for four consecutive defensive sets on their own line, turning the Bulldogs away time-after-time.
The Bulldogs showed a similar level of resilience only moments later, holding firm on their own line after conceding a handling error and penalty that invited Queanbeyan right onto their doorstep.
The Roo’s finally cracked the Bulldogs line for the second time in the 21st minute, with Quinlan darting from the base of the ruck before finding Harlem Cooper to extend their lead to 12-0.
The feeling between the two grand final hopefuls was obvious, with neither side pulling any shots in defence, as the contact could be felt from within the stands.
Queanbeyan’s defence was impenetrable throughout the first half, continuously denying whatever the Bulldogs threw at them in attack.
Having turned the Bulldogs away yet again, Jesse Dent stormed through the efforts of a handful of defenders, before finding Tiger Campbell back on his inside for the Roo’s third of the afternoon.
With momentum well and truly within the Roo’s grasp, Campbell crossed for a double only moments after, with Quinlan’s ball playing paying dividends once again.
Frustrations were building for the Bulldogs, often gifting the Roo’s field position off the back of their own ill-discipline in defence.
Having been denied a try only seconds beforehand, Nicholas Jervis-Hamilton pounced on a loose ball from the base of the Bulldogs scrum, extending Queanbeyan’s lead by 30 heading into the break.
Having had a hand in almost everything in the first half, Adam Quinlan opened proceedings in the second half as he did in the first, once again chasing a kick of his own.
Everything down to the bounce of the ball was going the way of the Roo’s, as Campbell pounced on a kick back towards the posts, claiming a hattrick to push the Roo’s lead out to 42-0.
As was the narrative in the first half, the Bulldogs were unable to cause any headaches for Queanbeyan’s defence.
Bayley Hitchcock added his name to the scoresheet in the 56th minute, charging his way to the line for Queanbeyan’s eighth try of the contest.
In a rare moment of madness for the Roo’s in the 66th minute, Tiger Campell was placed on report and sent to the bin following an altercation with Tomasi Bikaca, who ultimately faced the same fate.
Salt was poured into the wounds of the Bulldogs with just under seven minutes remaining, as Clinton Latham was sent to the bin following a reckless tackle.
Richie Levita added to the impressive tally in the 75th minute, crossing for the Roo’s ninth try of the game and bringing up an impressive 54 points having been held scoreless last week.
As the fulltime siren echoed across the ground, Lucus Thompson found the line one final time with the Queanbeyan Kangaroos securing themselves a fourth straight trip to the grand final, defeating the Goulburn City Bulldogs 58-0.
Image by Trisha Sullivan
