Bring back the Bulldogs !

[berryboy]

Imagine facing Steve Price, Mark O'Meley, Willie Mason, Andrew Ryan & Tony Grimaldi then after 20-30 minutes seeing SBW, Reni Maitua & Roy Asotasi entering the game lol.

Don't forget Thurston on that bench as well

 

[Freakzilla]

Don't forget Thurston on that bench as well

1. What does Thurston have to do with that intimidating forward pack?
2. Thurston only played 2 games off the bench in 2004.

 

[amapusae]

TPJ, Patolo and Thompson being injured is a cruel blow for us.

until they’re back, my vote is to start Pele, play RFM at 13 and Preston at 12. We desperately need to make up for the size we’re missing.

Sutton, Davey, Topine and Morrin on the bench.

no fucking idea what Ciraldo is doing playing nu Brown at 13, spastic decision

 

[1967]

Entertainers for me too. As a kid sitting in Belmore Sports ground Sunday afternoon watching those length of the field tries unfold and eventual out of nothing was amazing. Hughes brothers, Mortimer brothers, Geoff Robinson, Steve Gearin, Chris Anderson. I'll pass on that big caramel serving or icecream with 2 balls.

Pass on that caramel ice-cream ? … you wish, that belongs to @TwinTurbo & note back to his comments he didn’t ask for a spoon ..

 

[berryboy]

Pass on that caramel ice-cream ? … you wish, that belongs to @TwinTurbo & note there’s no spoon ..

OH SHIT!...NO SPOOL!

 

[Bazildog]

8. Darren Britt

9. Jason Hetherington

10. Dean Pay

11. Steve Price

12. Simon Gillies

13. Jim Dymock

With Jason Smith, Mitch Newton and Steve Reardon on the bench our 1995 GF winners also belted anyone they chose to..

 

[dogwhisperer]

8. Darren Britt

9. Jason Hetherington

10. Dean Pay

11. Steve Price

12. Simon Gillies

13. Jim Dymock

With Jason Smith, Mitch Newton and Steve Reardon on the bench our 1995 GF winners also belted anyone they chose to..

You can add Bumpin Barry Ward and Robert Relf for extra ammo if needed. That mid 90's pack weren't monsters but they didn't leave the field unless they had some blood on their jerseys. In the heat or in the rain, they belted the opposition into submission. I'm so grateful I lived in those times. What a spectacle.

 

[Bazildog]

You can add Bumpin Barry Ward and Robert Relf for extra ammo if needed. That mid 90's pack weren't monsters but they didn't leave the field unless they had some blood on their jerseys. In the heat or in the rain, they belted the opposition into submission.

Ward and Relf where both hard boys. 95 was the best finals series I ever went to and was there on GF day. Great memories.

 

[1967]

8. Darren Britt

9. Jason Hetherington

10. Dean Pay

11. Steve Price

12. Simon Gillies

13. Jim Dymock

With Jason Smith, Mitch Newton and Steve Reardon on the bench our 1995 GF winners also belted anyone they chose to..

These are the type of teams I’m talking about, this is what we need to get back to …

 

[Sword]

8. Darren Britt

9. Jason Hetherington

10. Dean Pay

11. Steve Price

12. Simon Gillies

13. Jim Dymock

With Jason Smith, Mitch Newton and Steve Reardon on the bench our 1995 GF winners also belted anyone they chose to..

What about OMeley, Asotasi, Mason ,Prichard?

 

[Papa Joe]

We’ve heard a lot of talk from the hierarchy over the last few years about making sure everyone at the club from the coaching staff through to all the players know our clubs history, a lot of emphasis has been put on everyone understanding our culture, problem is I’m not seeing a lot of that tradition or culture transition into the type of team we’re building or onto the field.

The Bulldogs have always been known for their big arrogant intimidating props & forward pack, we invented the NAS JWH prototype, and I’m not just talking the early 2000 era, this goes way back to our Berries era, we’ve always had the best props and opposition clubs hated playing us because they knew they’d be hurting for the next fortnight.

Where has the feared Bulldogs pack gone?

View attachment 66146

It’s been obvious since Klemmer walked out and Napa walked in that we’d lost our traditional Bulldogs type grunt up front, but whats been done about it? I’ve been watching our lower grades and I’m not really seeing a big dominate feared pack being developed there either.

Last season even with Vaughan in the pack we struggled to get out of our own half, Vaughan moved on for what ever reason, but even with him we had a glaring problem, what was done in the off season to correct it?

We’ve all seen when used correctly that Thompson is quality, but he’ll never be that type of feared upfront prop, he’s a player that takes advantage of the space those bigger props produce for him, as in running off Alex Walmsley, TPG, well he could be that type of prop but I don’t see it ever happening, wish he had James Grahams ticker, Sutton is a worker, the jury’s still out on Patolo.

Aside from Pele who seems to have 10 minutes each way in him, why hasn’t recruitment searched the lower grades at other clubs for big bodied intimidating 50 minute muscle stuck behind other players, why haven’t we recruited for big metre eaters in PNG, Fiji, or the UK like other clubs have?

My fears are they don’t want the big feared props or forward pack anymore, I feel they’re wanting to go for a lighter faster more mobile squad like the Panthers, that is not the Bulldogs way or what our club is built on, unless that type of mobile pack and team is started at the very lowest grade and all the players are bought through together over a 5 or 7 year period, it won’t work at our club, and I’m not patient enough to be waiting another 7 years for that type of team to be built to see if that works for us or not.

Personally, you can stick all the connection & koombiya stuff where it fits, this is rugby league, I want to see mongrel fit hardened hungry winners, not a let’s be BFF group, us fans just watched our team get smashed up by a bigger tougher more committed Sharks side and then again by a bigger tougher more committed Manly side, after watching the same shit happen all of 2022, I’m over it, I’m a Bulldogs fan through and through and I always will be, and I support the club win or lose, but I want to see a team that both fears and respects their head coach, a team that respects the jersey and always gives their 100% best while wearing it, I want to see our team get back to being the bigger tougher more committed Bulldogs who run over the top of the opposition, not a team that gets ran over the top of.

A lot gets said on here about having an elite spine, 6 7 9 & 1, but take a look at what the Dolphins just produced over the Roosters with an average spine, an average spine is good enough when you have a team of big aggressive dominate props & forwards.

Currently, aside from our 9 we have an average spine plus an average forward pack, until they rebuild our forward pack into the big intimidating mongrel pack we’ve always been known for, it doesn’t matter how elite our spine is because they’ll continue to look average while we’re being out muscled, until we’re big enough all over the park to win the metres, expect the loses to keep coming.

Personally, I thought our club needed Flanagan Snr to coach us, he’s old school tough and focuses on fitness discipline and doesn’t tolerate failure, I’m happy to give CC time and I hope he becomes a great coach for us, but I don’t want a team like the Panthers, I want a team of relentless big bodied win hungry mongrel Bulldogs that smash the opposition so the backs and half’s can score a lot of points.

Jmo, rant over …

Agree with you 100% 1967.

One word that was always associated with the famous successful eras of the Bulldogs was "Tough".

The comment from opposition teams used to be, "Teams always knew that they just played the Bulldogs from how sore they were afterwards" they would get physically bashed. That's what it takes to be a Bulldog.

 

[billy beane]

We’ve heard a lot of talk from the hierarchy over the last few years about making sure everyone at the club from the coaching staff through to all the players know our clubs history, a lot of emphasis has been put on everyone understanding our culture, problem is I’m not seeing a lot of that tradition or culture transition into the type of team we’re building or onto the field.

The Bulldogs have always been known for their big arrogant intimidating props & forward pack, we invented the NAS JWH prototype, and I’m not just talking the early 2000 era, this goes way back to our Berries era, we’ve always had the best props and opposition clubs hated playing us because they knew they’d be hurting for the next fortnight.

Where has the feared Bulldogs pack gone?

View attachment 66146

It’s been obvious since Klemmer walked out and Napa walked in that we’d lost our traditional Bulldogs type grunt up front, but whats been done about it? I’ve been watching our lower grades and I’m not really seeing a big dominate feared pack being developed there either.

Last season even with Vaughan in the pack we struggled to get out of our own half, Vaughan moved on for what ever reason, but even with him we had a glaring problem, what was done in the off season to correct it?

We’ve all seen when used correctly that Thompson is quality, but he’ll never be that type of feared upfront prop, he’s a player that takes advantage of the space those bigger props produce for him, as in running off Alex Walmsley, TPG, well he could be that type of prop but I don’t see it ever happening, wish he had James Grahams ticker, Sutton is a worker, the jury’s still out on Patolo.

Aside from Pele who seems to have 10 minutes each way in him, why hasn’t recruitment searched the lower grades at other clubs for big bodied intimidating 50 minute muscle stuck behind other players, why haven’t we recruited for big metre eaters in PNG, Fiji, or the UK like other clubs have?

My fears are they don’t want the big feared props or forward pack anymore, I feel they’re wanting to go for a lighter faster more mobile squad like the Panthers, that is not the Bulldogs way or what our club is built on, unless that type of mobile pack and team is started at the very lowest grade and all the players are bought through together over a 5 or 7 year period, it won’t work at our club, and I’m not patient enough to be waiting another 7 years for that type of team to be built to see if that works for us or not.

Personally, you can stick all the connection & koombiya stuff where it fits, this is rugby league, I want to see mongrel fit hardened hungry winners, not a let’s be BFF group, us fans just watched our team get smashed up by a bigger tougher more committed Sharks side and then again by a bigger tougher more committed Manly side, after watching the same shit happen all of 2022, I’m over it, I’m a Bulldogs fan through and through and I always will be, and I support the club win or lose, but I want to see a team that both fears and respects their head coach, a team that respects the jersey and always gives their 100% best while wearing it, I want to see our team get back to being the bigger tougher more committed Bulldogs who run over the top of the opposition, not a team that gets ran over the top of.

A lot gets said on here about having an elite spine, 6 7 9 & 1, but take a look at what the Dolphins just produced over the Roosters with an average spine, an average spine is good enough when you have a team of big aggressive dominate props & forwards.

Currently, aside from our 9 we have an average spine plus an average forward pack, until they rebuild our forward pack into the big intimidating mongrel pack we’ve always been known for, it doesn’t matter how elite our spine is because they’ll continue to look average while we’re being out muscled, until we’re big enough all over the park to win the metres, expect the losses to keep coming.

Personally, I thought our club needed Flanagan Snr to coach us, he’s old school tough and focuses on fitness discipline and doesn’t tolerate failure, I’m happy to give CC time and I hope he becomes a great coach for us, but I don’t want a team like the Panthers, I want a team of relentless big bodied win hungry mongrel Bulldogs that smash the opposition so the backs and half’s can score a lot of points.

Jmo, rant over …

Spot on ... have touched on many of these issues myself.

I can cop being outclassed but i hate being outmuscled.

 

[1967]

Bro to be honest I don’t think they are ever coming back

Thanks mate, you couldn’t have just lied to me & given me something to look forward to ..

 

[Abdul..]

A post Berries would be proud of.

And i agree.

 

[John Matrix]

Great post and you nailed many things.

Our issues are deep, us fans have no idea of what’s going on and it’s clear the club doesn’t either.

every other club follows the simple plan of big guys accept us, it hasn’t worked out for years yet we continue to persist.

without the foundations we are plagued for another crap season most likely and only time will tell.

 

[stevesonthebay]

We’ve heard a lot of talk from the hierarchy over the last few years about making sure everyone at the club from the coaching staff through to all the players know our clubs history, a lot of emphasis has been put on everyone understanding our culture, problem is I’m not seeing a lot of that tradition or culture transition into the type of team we’re building or onto the field.

The Bulldogs have always been known for their big arrogant intimidating props & forward pack, we invented the NAS JWH prototype, and I’m not just talking the early 2000 era, this goes way back to our Berries era, we’ve always had the best props and opposition clubs hated playing us because they knew they’d be hurting for the next fortnight.

Where has the feared Bulldogs pack gone?

View attachment 66146

It’s been obvious since Klemmer walked out and Napa walked in that we’d lost our traditional Bulldogs type grunt up front, but whats been done about it? I’ve been watching our lower grades and I’m not really seeing a big dominate feared pack being developed there either.

Last season even with Vaughan in the pack we struggled to get out of our own half, Vaughan moved on for what ever reason, but even with him we had a glaring problem, what was done in the off season to correct it?

We’ve all seen when used correctly that Thompson is quality, but he’ll never be that type of feared upfront prop, he’s a player that takes advantage of the space those bigger props produce for him, as in running off Alex Walmsley, TPG, well he could be that type of prop but I don’t see it ever happening, wish he had James Grahams ticker, Sutton is a worker, the jury’s still out on Patolo.

Aside from Pele who seems to have 10 minutes each way in him, why hasn’t recruitment searched the lower grades at other clubs for big bodied intimidating 50 minute muscle stuck behind other players, why haven’t we recruited for big metre eaters in PNG, Fiji, or the UK like other clubs have?

My fears are they don’t want the big feared props or forward pack anymore, I feel they’re wanting to go for a lighter faster more mobile squad like the Panthers, that is not the Bulldogs way or what our club is built on, unless that type of mobile pack and team is started at the very lowest grade and all the players are bought through together over a 5 or 7 year period, it won’t work at our club, and I’m not patient enough to be waiting another 7 years for that type of team to be built to see if that works for us or not.

Personally, you can stick all the connection & koombiya stuff where it fits, this is rugby league, I want to see mongrel fit hardened hungry winners, not a let’s be BFF group, us fans just watched our team get smashed up by a bigger tougher more committed Sharks side and then again by a bigger tougher more committed Manly side, after watching the same shit happen all of 2022, I’m over it, I’m a Bulldogs fan through and through and I always will be, and I support the club win or lose, but I want to see a team that both fears and respects their head coach, a team that respects the jersey and always gives their 100% best while wearing it, I want to see our team get back to being the bigger tougher more committed Bulldogs who run over the top of the opposition, not a team that gets ran over the top of.

A lot gets said on here about having an elite spine, 6 7 9 & 1, but take a look at what the Dolphins just produced over the Roosters with an average spine, an average spine is good enough when you have a team of big aggressive dominate props & forwards.

Currently, aside from our 9 we have an average spine plus an average forward pack, until they rebuild our forward pack into the big intimidating mongrel pack we’ve always been known for, it doesn’t matter how elite our spine is because they’ll continue to look average while we’re being out muscled, until we’re big enough all over the park to win the metres, expect the losses to keep coming.

Personally, I thought our club needed Flanagan Snr to coach us, he’s old school tough and focuses on fitness discipline and doesn’t tolerate failure, I’m happy to give CC time and I hope he becomes a great coach for us, but I don’t want a team like the Panthers, I want a team of relentless big bodied win hungry mongrel Bulldogs that smash the opposition so the backs and half’s can score a lot of points.

Jmo, rant over …

I remember when Warren Ryan came to the Dogs he built a pack out of no name hard heads like Tunks, Kelly, Billy Johnson, Battese, Bugden and a couple of young guns in Gallespi, Langmack and Folks and a local junior named Robbo (Jeff Robertson) who was wild and threw himself at the defence.. Even Big Marn and Gould got in on the act as backup. All could tackle hard and hurt the other team.

That created the platform for the back. BUt it was Ryans umbrella brickwall defence style that gave the team the tactic to virtually tackle teams out of the contest. I think from memory the league had to change the rules from 5m to 10 because of how dominant the Dogs became. But Parra also did the same with their pack in the end to compete. Thats when Bullfrog (Peter Moore) was Club director so I am glad Gould has taken over as he knows our DNA.

We had a pretty good forward pack as well under Hasler with Graham, Tolman, Pritchard and Eastwood and young guns like Klemmer, Jackson and Finucane.

Todays games a lot faster and more open so I don't think that style will work anymore. Now we have wrestling coaches to slow the ruck and the new rules promote open footy. But the basic idea of a tough defence wall still works but requires disciple and teams working together.

I agree we need some authority up front. Klemmer was a big loss I think and we need a couple of his calibre to toughen things up. Lenui will help next year and hopefully we can get another. Even a no nonsense prop like Nicholls would be ok. We have got a couple of big props in Pele, Booth and Hughes coming through the ranks. Hughes was brought over to Parra juniors as a bookend type prop and given big wraps. So hopefully we can build to something big in the next couple of years.

 

[Bazildog]

What about OMeley, Asotasi, Mason ,Prichard?

Great players, but years later

 

[billy beane]

You can add Bumpin Barry Ward and Robert Relf for extra ammo if needed. That mid 90's pack weren't monsters but they didn't leave the field unless they had some blood on their jerseys. In the heat or in the rain, they belted the opposition into submission. I'm so grateful I lived in those times. What a spectacle.

Relf could throw them as well ... seen him unload on a few occasions.

 

[Bob dog]

Imagine facing Steve Price, Mark O'Meley, Willie Mason, Andrew Ryan & Tony Grimaldi then after 20-30 minutes seeing SBW, Reni Maitua & Roy Asotasi entering the game lol.

All those guys started as no body's, remember Mason as the big kid with an afro?
But we did have the likes of Steve Folkes bringing them along.
They gotta start all over again.

 

[Freakzilla]

All those guys started as no body's, remember Mason as the big kid with an afro?
But we did have the likes of Steve Folkes bringing them along.
They gotta start all over again.

They were good in juniors. We haven't got many talented forwards in our juniors right now. Topine should be given a shot.