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Canterbury roared back into NRL title contention after stunning the Melbourne Storm 28-4 in their elimination final at AAMI Park.
SCOREBOARD: MEL 4-28 CBY
 | 4-28 |  |
|---|---|---|
| at AAMI Park, September 14 2014 | ||
| Tackles: | Cameron Smith (MEL) - 47 | |
| Hit-Ups: | Aiden Tolman (CBY) - 17 | |
| Offloads: | Sisa Waqa (MEL) - 7 | |
| Run (m): | Tim Lafai (CBY) - 165 | |
| Melbourne: S Waqa try; W Chambers 0/1 goals Canterbury: T Lafai 3, G Eastwood, T Hodkinson tries; T Hodkinson 4/5 goals | ||
Interview: Michael Ennis
Interview: James Graham
Interview: Des Hasler
Interview: Craig Bellamy
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The Bulldogs will now face their coach Des Hasler's old side Manly in a semi-final next Saturday night at the Sydney Football Stadium while the shell-shocked Storm's season is over.
Heading into Sunday's match with just two wins from their last eight matches, the Bulldogs erased any doubts about their form with a 40-minute blast that saw them lead 24-0 by half-time.
Centre Tim Lafai scored a hat-trick for the day as the Bulldogs forwards, led by James Graham and Greg Eastwood, bullied their opponents.
Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith overcame a serious ankle injury to play but his presence was not enough to stop the Canterbury onslaught.
The usually clinical Storm looked woefully out of sorts in both attack and defence, particularly in the first half.
Greg Eastwood crossed first for the Bulldogs when Lafai batted a Michael Ennis bomb straight into his hands a metre from the Melbourne line in the sixth minute.
Trent Hodkinson made it 12-0 when he converted his own 13th-minute try, coming on the back of a nicely-weighted pass from prop James Graham.
It was 18-0 less than five minutes later after Storm five-eighth Ben Roberts threw a short ball directly to Lafai, who streaked 60 metres to touch down under the posts.
He grabbed his second when he strolled through some poor Storm defence five minutes before half-time, following a strong run by David Klemmer, to set up a 24-0 Bulldogs lead at the break.
The Storm tried to force their way back into the match but too often errors ruined any attacking opportunities.
Sydney Roosters v NQ Cowboys at the SFS - Friday, September 19, 7:55pm AEST
Manly Sea Eagles v Canterbury Bulldogs at the SFS - Saturday, September 20, 7:45pm AEST
Waqa finally broke the drought in the 45th minute when he plucked a perfectly-placed Cooper Cronk kick out of the sky to touch down out wide.
Two moments then proved telling of the Storm's day.
It looked like Waqa had reduced the margin soon after when he crossed under the posts after a miraculous sequence of passing.
But the video referee overturned the decision after finding a knock-on from Jesse Bromwich in the lead-up, despite it being ruled a try on the field and the fact it appeared Bulldogs five-eighth Josh Reynolds knocked the ball loose.
Soon after, Waqa made a break and popped a ball for Mahe Fonua, but an ankle tap from Reynolds and brilliant cover from prop Graham stopped a certain four-pointer.
That was the end of any realistic comeback efforts from the 2012 premiers and Lafai completed his hat-trick with five minutes left on the clock after an intercept by Eastwood.
Canterbury forward Pat O'Hanlon faces months of rehabilitation after he went down in the 58th minute with a horrific broken leg from his first hit-up.
Billy Slater was put on report for knees in the back of Reynolds and Josh Morris was cited for a tackle on Waqa that left the Fijian clutching at his shoulder. Neither player should face suspension.
Storm centre Will Chambers, on the other hand, will almost definitely face time out after he was reported for laying out an unsuspecting Ennis with a very late shoulder charge. Canterbury's David Klemmer was also put on report.
AAP/ABC
Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, nsw, canterbury-2193
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