NRL Good Friday Game

Contents

The National Rugby League's Good Friday Game is held annually on the Good Friday holiday in Australia between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It is traditionally played at Stadium Australia.[1]

In 2014, it took a Trent Hodkinson field goal in the 78th minute to gift the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs the win 15-14.[2] In the 2015 match, dubbed 'Bad Friday',[3] a controversial finish to the match ended with a penalty being awarded against James Graham of Canterbury-Bankstown, allowing South Sydney to score a winning penalty goal.[4]

This led to arguments between Canterbury players and referee Gerard Sutton, with David Klemmer being sin binned for dissent. Canterbury-Bankstown supporters then threw objects at the referees as they were escorted swiftly of the field straight after full-time.[5] In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the NRL season was postponed meaning the match did not go ahead.

In round 4 of the 2021 NRL season, South Sydney recorded the biggest winning margin in the fixture defeating Canterbury-Bankstown 38-0.[6] In round 6 of the 2023 NRL season, South Sydney recorded the most points scored by a winning team in the Good Friday game as they defeated Canterbury 50-16.[7]

Head to head

TeamPlayedGames wonDrawsGames lostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoint Difference
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs144010218301-83
South Sydney Rabbitohs141004301218+83

Results

DateHome teamScoreAway teamVenueCrowdReference
6 April 2012South Sydney Rabbitohs20–10Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney35,221[8]
29 March 2013Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs12–17South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney51,686[9]
18 April 2014South Sydney Rabbitohs14–15Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney43,255[10]
3 April 2015Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs17–18South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney40,523[11]
25 March 2016South Sydney Rabbitohs12–42Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney38,192[12]
14 April 2017Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs24–9South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney35,984[13]
30 March 2018South Sydney Rabbitohs20–16Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney32,471[14]
19 April 2019Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs6–14South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney30,040[15]
2 April 2021Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs0–38South Sydney RabbitohsStadium Australia, Sydney23,240[16]
15 April 2022South Sydney Rabbitohs36–16Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsAccor Stadium, Sydney30,194[17]
7 April 2023Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs16–50South Sydney RabbitohsAccor Stadium, Sydney35,211[18]
29 March 2024South Sydney Rabbitohs20–16Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsAccor Stadium, Sydney35,275[19]
18 April 2025Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs32–0South Sydney RabbitohsAccor Stadium, Sydney65,305
3 April 2026South Sydney Rabbitohs32–24Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsAccor Stadium, Sydney49,813
  • 2020 NRL Good Friday Game cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdown

References

  1. 1."Bulldogs and Rabbitohs Good Friday History". Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. 2."Flash back Friday: Good Friday 2014". Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  3. 3."How 'Bad Friday' clash sparked a fire in NRL".
  4. 4."Good Friday Battle". www.bulldogs.com.au. 10 April 2019.
  5. 5.Chammas, Michael (3 April 2015). "South Sydney Rabbitohs win by point over Canterbury Bulldogs in controversial Good Friday clash". The Age. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. 6."Rabbitohs shine, Dogs scoreless in third straight game". www.espn.com. 2 April 2021.
  7. 7."Dolphins triumph over Cowboys 32-22 in Qld NRL derby, South Sydney thrashes Canterbury 50-16". ABC News. 7 April 2023.
  8. 8."NRL 2012 - Round 6 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. 9."NRL 2013 - Round 4 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. 10."NRL 2014 - Round 7 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  11. 11."NRL 2015 - Round 5 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  12. 12."NRL 2016 - Round 4 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  13. 13."NRL 2017 - Round 7 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  14. 14."NRL 2018 - Round 4 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  15. 15."NRL 2019 - Round 6 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  16. 16."Bulldogs v Rabbitohs". National Rugby League. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  17. 17."Bulldogs v Rabbitohs-Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  18. 18."NRL 2023 - Round 6 Bulldogs vs Rabbitohs". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  19. 19."NRL 2024 - Round 4 Rabbitohs vs Bulldogs". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 11 April 2024.