The Bulldogs went in at half-time down 24-6 and, to be frank, were lucky to be that close after a first half club president Mick Alchin described as "pathetic".

It was only a late try to the Bulldogs that got them that close - and came after Cessnock had a fifth first half try ruled out for obstruction.

"They rolled through us up the middle, and they didn't make too many errors," Alchin said.

"We were pathetic in the first 40, there's no hiding it, and by the time we stopped the bleeding, the game was over. Having said that, I thought we clearly dominated the second half which was the frustrating part."

A half time blast from Bulldogs captain-coach Mitch Cullen hit the mark, with Kurri winning the second stanza 18-8 in a half where they were the better side.

It leaves Kurri with some serious self analysis to do - their bad patches have coincided with them conceding tries in bunches, and an inability to stay in the contest.

They did incredibly well after the break to actually give themselves an outside chance, but a try from Harvey Neville, who spent much of the game in the unaccustomed role of centre, sealed the points for the home side.

With their forwards holding the middle, it meant their attacking weapons such as Tyler Randall, Mitch Cullen, Henry Penn and fullback Nathan Ross, who was making his long-awaited comeback, started to have an impact.

He was clearly gasping for air on a number of occasions - not surprising from his first game in a couple of seasons - but Ross showed enough to make it clear there's a lot of good football ahead of him this season when he gets some match condition.

For Cessnock coach Todd Edwards, while the second wasn't great, the first half was impressive and after two consecutive losses, a win of any kind was paramount.

Their forwards asserted their authority early - Reed Hugo was outstanding - and laid the platform for the win, allowing playmakers AJ Davis and Liam Foran to put Kurri under extended pressure.

"We were still impatient with the ball, and that's something we'll have to work on," Edwards said.

"And we were hammered 7-1 in the second half penalties which made it pretty tough for us too.

"But we also had a few players carrying niggling injuries and it was a win. I thought Reed Hugo was terrific for us."

Next up the Goannas have The Entrance in a fortnight.

Due to the representative round, there will be no local fixtures this weekend.