Off you go: Bulldog David Klemmer shows his disgust after being sent to the sin bin for dissent during the round five clash with South Sydney. Credit:Getty Images As the match officials came from the ground they were pelted with objects, with linesman Nick Beashel hitting the deck as sections of the crowd vented their anger. While one Bulldogs punter was banned for 10 years for attacking a Rabbitohs fan without provocation, many of the troublemakers escaped detection because the broadcast and CCTV footage was inconclusive. ANZ Stadium officials are meeting with both clubs before the match while NSW police said in a statement to Fairfax Media: "We can say that we are planning an increased police presence." The NRL was forced to employ new protocols for the departure of match officials following the dramas, while there were an additional seven riot officers for Canterbury's next match at the venue.

Graham, in an effort to become less demonstrative and foster better relations with whistleblowers, has taken the unusual step of holding his hands behind his back during recent interactions. "People will say it's his way of expressing himself, his way of actually going 'You know what, I've got to be cautious that I don't get too brave with my hands'," Canterbury CEO Raelene Castle said. "There were a lot of lessons learnt all around and because of that you'll always see James address the referees in a different way." The Bulldogs are encouraging fans to dob in troublemakers by alerting security via text message at the first sign of problems. "That was a very clear message sent to all of our fans that it's unacceptable behaviour. If they see any of it they need to call it out," she said.

Castle said the recent history between the sides had elevated Rabbitohs-Bulldogs clashes to the same stratosphere as the famous Eels-Dogs rivalry of the 1980s. "It's fantastic, you need those," said Castle after the club hosted special Olympians at the fourth annual Mini Olympics at Belmore Sports Ground on Wednesday. "That is what sport is all about. In the '80s it was the Bulldogs and Parramatta and in the 2000s it's the Bulldogs and the Rabbits. Every game is important and both teams needing the two points makes it extra special." Josh Morris was inadvertently involved in many of the game's most controversial moments. The NSW three-quarter was placed on report for lashing out with his boot, but was subsequently cleared. He then appeared to be pushed out of the way when attempting to regather the ball from a short kick-off in the last play of the match.

"You could dwell on it a fair bit if you wanted to but it would have done us no good in the situation we were in," Morris said. "We had three or four injuries and two blokes on suspension after that game, there wasn't much time to dwell on it, it was just battle stations. We kept on getting wins when we had those blokes out ... "I think everyone hasn't forgotten that game and we've been looking forward to it since. It took a dent out of both sides, that one, with how physical it was. Obviously the aftermath with the injuries and suspensions kinda derailed both team's seasons for a little bit. "It certainly adds a bit of spice to this clash." Newcastle-bound halfback Trent Hodkinson predicted Graham and Klemmer would be on their best behaviour on Friday.

"Dessie [coach Des Hasler] will have them on a short leash this week," he quipped.