The A-grade battle between Roma Cities and the Chinchilla Bulldogs came down to the wire at the weekend, with the final five minutes of the match proving eventful.

Cities secured a strong, early lead in front of their home crowd, with Tommy Barron the first try-scorer of the game.

A quick pass to Jackson Shellswell had Cities pick up their second try at the 15- minute mark, the team sitting comfortably 10 up from the Doggies.

A considerable sprint from Bulldog Romada Barnes brought the score to 10-4 as the half-time whistle sounded.

Cities returned to the field with a renewed focus, the second half proving a somewhat scrappy affair.

Barnes proved, once again, to be a dangerous opponent, breaking down the Cities' defence to clinch the Bulldogs' second try.

Cities players Jack Just and Boey Coonan responded with three tries in quick succession, maintaining the Cities' upper hand.

Corner tries from both Tom Dodd and Frank Roma placed the Bulldogs within striking distance with a score of 20-24.

As the game entered the final two minutes, an upset was in the making.

A turnover placed the ball in the Bulldogs' possession and, after a number of attempts at the Cities' try line, Craig Johnson prevailed - running over the line much to the dismay of the home side.

Alex Coonan's last-minute sprint gave the crowd hope but time was not on Cities' side, the final score for the match 24-28.

Cities will face Miles next on Sunday, June 24.