Kieran Foran tormented his former club scoring two quick doubles before the visitors struck back via a stirring solo effort from Josh Addo-Carr, who crossed for three tries in the match.
Bulldogs forward Kurtis Morrin finished off a cross-field kick to get Cameron Ciraldo’s side back to within six points after the break but the 12-point advantage soon returned.
Addo-Carr grabbed a second soon after as the game began to open up with Viliame Kikau doing enough to put the NSW and Kangaroos winger into space.
The Bulldogs should have levelled the scores immediately after with a repeat set not finished off by Matt Burton, who dropped the ball over the line after a sharp left step to get in the in-goal.
Burton’s near miss proved costly with the Titans crossing next – all while Jake Averillo left the field with a knee injury.
The Bulldogs went within four of victory after Blake Wilson crossed on the full-time siren but it was too little, too late.
Ciraldo said the game was similar to others this year with too many penalties
“I feel like a broken record saying that but I was really happy with the effort today,” he said.
“I thought we had our best defensive game in terms of tackling and energy … for the boys to turn up after the week we’ve had, I was stoked with that.”
The 2023 campaign for the Bulldogs has come to an end, with Canterbury having plenty to ponder after an underwhelming first season under Ciraldo.
