NRL Good Friday Game

NRL Good Friday Game

Location	Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales
Teams	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs South Sydney Rabbitohs
First meeting	6 April 2012 South Sydney 20 def. Canterbury-Bankstown 10
Latest meeting	18 April 2025 Canterbury-Bankstown 32 def. South Sydney 0
Next meeting	2026
Broadcasters	Fox League, Channel 9
Statistics
Most wins	South Sydney 9 wins
Largest victory	South-Sydney 38 points (2 April 2021)

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

Team	Played	Games won	Draws	Games lost	Points For	Points Against	Point Difference
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	12	4	0	9	194	269	-75
South Sydney Rabbitohs	12	9	0	4	269	194	+75

Results

Date	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Crowd	Reference
6 April 2012	South Sydney Rabbitohs	20–10	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	35,221	[8]
29 March 2013	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	12–17	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	51,686	[9]
18 April 2014	South Sydney Rabbitohs	14–15	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	43,255	[10]
3 April 2015	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	17–18	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	40,523	[11]
25 March 2016	South Sydney Rabbitohs	12–42	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	38,192	[12]
14 April 2017	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24–9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	35,984	[13]
30 March 2018	South Sydney Rabbitohs	20–16	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	32,471	[14]
19 April 2019	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6–14	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium, Sydney	30,040	[15]
2 April 2021	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0–38	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Stadium Australia, Sydney	23,240	[16]
15 April 2022	South Sydney Rabbitohs	36–16	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Accor Stadium, Sydney	30,194	[17]
7 April 2023	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	16–50	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Accor Stadium, Sydney	35,211	[18]
29 March 2024	South Sydney Rabbitohs	20–16	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Accor Stadium, Sydney	35,275	[19]
18 April 2025	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	32–0	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Accor Stadium, Sydney	65,305

References

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