Canterbury Bulldogs finally bare their teeth with victory over Cronulla Sharks THE Bulldogs went to Gosford out of form and under pressure. They left with two competition points - thanks to a 24-8 victory against the Sharks - and hope of the possible return of the club's two star props, Englishman James Graham and Kiwi Sam Kasiano. On an afternoon where the footy was so ugly it resembled a rum drinker's teeth, the undisputed highlight was the confirmation that, yes, Graham is finally returning from his biting suspension. Even better for Doggies fans, coach Des Hasler revealed he would also be "having a serious look" at fellow international Kasiano, the New Zealand prop who had been sidelined all year with a bung leg. Asked the importance of having his two bookends return, Hasler said: "One is the captain of England and the other represents New Zealand so, yes, they're quality players. They're also props, play in the middle so they would be an important part of any side. Mick Ennis with a fend for the Bulldogs. Yet none more so than the Doggies. Having dropped five of their opening six games, including four on the trot, Canterbury arrived in Gosford yesterday carrying the type of desperation usually reserved for old men prowling nightclub dancefloors. And while the scoreboard would eventually read convincingly in their favour, much of the Doggies' success had to do with a Cronulla side so poor, coach Shane Flanagan conceded "we gave the game to them." "Two points, they're hard to come by in this competition," Canterbury skipper Michael Ennis understated afterwards. And while you could never doubt that the boys were trying, I was proud that we got into an arm wrestle today and won it. And now one, possibly two, of their superstars are returning. A move that, while exciting Channel 9 man-of-the-match Josh Reynolds, also comes with a warning label. Dejected Sharks captain Paul Gallen. "Because there was all the same talk when Benny Barba came back but, as you've seen, no one comes straight back and sets the world on fire," Reynolds said. First grade football, it's hard. You don't just come straight back after a long layoff and take it by the scruff of the neck. So we can't rely on those two players to just come back and change the world because it's not going to happen. Suspended for 12 weeks after being found guilty of biting Storm fullback Billy Slater, Graham will not only add starch to the Bulldogs middle, but provide another playmaking option. "James is so valuable to us in attack, definitely," Reynolds agreed. He's such a good ball player, he sucks in two, three guys and can still get the tip on or create another play. And then he'll still go make 40 tackles in a game too. With guys like him and Sam, it's not like we've been waiting around for them to come back - and some guys have been doing great jobs in their absence - but they're certainly going to have a positive impact on our side when they do. CRONULLA coach Shane Flanagan questioned the logic in taking yesterday's game to Gosford after a claimed crowd of 10,131 turned up. That so few fans turned up for the game only added to his frustrations over a financial deal that would have been ticked off by a Sharks board that has since been dethroned. "I'm not happy about it, put it that way," Flanagan said of moving the game to the NSW Central Coast. For us, the advantage of Shark Park is massive. Maybe it was a good financial decision back then. For me as a coach, I'd rather be sitting at Shark Park now. Captain Paul Gallen agreed with his coach but said the allocation where his side played its games was out of his control. With their last home game having been the round-four loss to St George Illawarra on March 30, Cronulla don't return to Sharks Stadium until round 10 on May 19. Just last week, football's Mariners declared that the Central Coast was now A-League territory. Tony Williams offloads. Picture: Brett Costello Source: