‘I’ve never seen anything like it’: Bulldogs brace for another wild crowd at Kogarah

Viliame Kikau played in front of more than 82,000 fans on grand final night when the Panthers beat the Eels, but the Bulldogs enforcer says he’s “never seen anything” like what happened on Sunday as Canterbury fans turned Belmore into a sea of blue and white to celebrate their side’s path towards a drought-breaking finals berth.

The official attendance on Sunday was 18,110 as the Bulldogs beat the Raiders in a thriller at Belmore Sports Ground, but it felt like triple that as the Bulldogs faithful produced wild scenes at the stadium and then on the streets after the game.

There was one sour note as a small section of supporters intimated a Raiders fan after the game that has rightly been called out by the club.

But for the players, what they saw before and during the game is something they’ll never forget.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest, even playing in grand finals,” Kikau said.

“Getting off the bus, the fans were pulling some of the boys and jumping over security. I’d never seen anything like it. We spoke about it before we came from the hotel to embrace it and take it all in and, when we ran out, embrace the crowd and perform.

“We were sent videos from some of the boys’ mates who must have been around the road. It was chockers there, so we got told to wait around here for farewells before we walked back to the leagues club. We’ve got crazy fans here.

“I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like (if we win the comp).”

Sunday’s result sets up an epic suburban showdown between the Bulldogs and Dragons at a sold-out Kogarah that will be heaving with diehard Red V supporters who are desperate to see their side hold onto a spot in the top eight.

Kurt Mann has played for both clubs and knows the Dragons faithful are going to bring it on Saturday night.

“The atmosphere that we had here on the weekend was probably some of the best I’ve played in front of,” he said.

“It’s crazy to see the scenes when you get off the bus and there’s about 5000 people right up waiting for you to walk through, so I’m sure the atmosphere at Kogarah is going to be similar this week.

“You can expect to cop abuse, but our fans will be there as well, so I’m pretty sure they’ll be there supporting us, and I’ve heard it has sold out already, so I’m assuming there’s going to be a fair crowd there.”

Seeing the support of both fan bases has been one of the highlights of the season, with the Bulldogs set to qualify for the finals for the first time since 2016.

A lot of that is on the back of leadership, with Stephen Crichton and Cameron Ciraldo looking to become the first men from the same club to win Dally M Captain and Coach of the Year since Cameron Smith and Craig Bellamy did it in 2019.

“He’s my captain of the year. I always forget how young he is. I think he’s a 40-year-old bloke that’s been playing for years with the way he speaks and just the knowledge he has,” said Mann, who spent two seasons at the Storm.

“Everyone forgets he’s only 23, so he’s still a young man. As long as they keep him around here, this place will just go on leaps and bounds forward.”

Kikau worked with Ciraldo at the Panthers when he was an assistant coach and is stoked to see how he’s developed in the head role at the Bulldogs.

“He understands what winning looks like. He’s got a good IQ about the game, especially defensively, and he’s shown that over the last few years as an assistant and now a head coach,” he said.

“Hopefully, he gets the (award) but he doesn’t like the individual accolades. He’s always putting the team first with everything he does. That’s why we love him here.”