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Find your Sport Nation frequencyNew NRL attendance record set as Bulldogs stay undefeated on Good Friday
Sam Kosack • April 18th, 2025 8:49 pm
Rugby league history has been made as the largest ever crowd for a standalone regular season game turned up for the traditional Bulldogs and Rabbitohs Good Friday clash.
The crowd of 65,305 - the majority of whom donned the Canterbury-Bankstown blue and white - piled into Accor Stadium to watch the Bulldogs suffocate South Sydney 32-0 in a brutal defensive display.
The Bulldogs remain undefeated in 2025, going 6-0 for the first time since 1938 and remaining in first position.
Returning from injury, second rower Viliame Kikau spoke in the SEN post-game about the enormity of the record crowd and the Bulldogs faithful turning up.
“It’s my first week back, it felt like a grand final,” Kikau said.
“It’s two big clubs with big foundations coming together, it’s crazy.
“When we were at the hotel… people were just lining up. I’ve played in grand finals, it felt like that.
“It’s good to put in a performance like that so we can get these big crowds; good for the game for the fans, and good for everyone.”
Canterbury ran for a mammoth 2147 metres, 895 more than the Rabbitohs’, as the Bulldogs’ forwards feasted, scoring four of their side’s five tries, including prop Max King who scored his first try for the first time in six years.
Speaking with SEN post-game, King reflected on breaking his tryless streak amidst the Bulldogs’ flawless start to the season.
“I get reminded every week, 80 games, it’s been a long drought,” King joked.
“Come to an end today which in a strange way is a bit sad but what a day to score.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it… it was a really big privilege for me to play.
“I’ve been here in some hard times for the club; this would probably be up there with my favourite days as a Bulldog.”
The Bulldogs have the best defensive record in the NRL by a huge 28 points, only conceding 58 over their first six games.
It has now been over 200 minutes of game time since the Bulldogs conceded a point ahead of their clash against the Brisbane Broncos next week.
SEN League expert Justin Horo declared that “if (the Bulldogs) can hold the Broncos to nil, I’m handing them the premiership.”
The Rabbitohs will be without lock Lachlan Hubner against the Storm after he suffered a Category 1 concussion and may be without Euan Aitken after he was placed on report for a hip drop tackle.
