The Bulldogs had just enough for the Penrith Panthers at the ANZ Stadium on Friday night, winning 19-12, but their victory was marred by a serious-looking injury to centre Jamal Idris.
With just under 15 minutes left, Idris left the field with a dislocated elbow having injured himself in a leap with Maurice Blair.
The injury aside, it was a positive night for the Bulldogs with Hazem El Masri coming away with an impressive haul of 14 points.
The Panthers attacked from the off and the visitors got off to the perfect start when Gavin Cooper got over for an early 6-0 buffer.
They continued to dominate play but Cooper's effort was all they had to show for their eminence when Bryson Goodwin raced away for a try to level things up.
El Masri scored his first try of the night when he was sent clear by Ben Roberts.
With eight minutes to go though, Panthers backrow Frank Pritchard powered over the line to reduce the gap to two points and guarantee a tight finish.
However, El Masri notched his second of the night just before Brett Kimmorley nailed a field goal to seal the deal.