Pay day coming article -The Roar

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The problem with any such comparison is the 1995 team is "legendary" in Bulldogs circles. As a result I know this is a no win scenario, so just a few comparisons.

Chris Anderson, an ex Bulldogs premiership winning player, was the coach, as is Dean Pay who was a prop in the winning 1995 team.
The centres were John Timu and Mathew Ryan, highly competent but hardly world beaters (sound familiar?). Ryan was the leading try scorer in the NRL but not for a couple more years, same year he played for NSW.
The wingers were Jason Williams and the goal kicking legend Darryl Halligan, who is Rhyse Martin's kicking coach.
Steve Price was in his 1st full year, playing 2nd row, and wouldn't play for the Cane Toads for another couple of years, but on their radar (sound familiar?).
Of course Terry Lamb is .....well ... Terry Lamb and hence incomparable.

What I liked about the 1995 team was that they played as team, for the team and hunted in a pack. They were ruthless, especially in defence (just ask Glen Lazarus). My biggest hope is this team can emulate that attitude.

Go Dogs
john timu was way better then highly competent
 

Haddaway

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I'm always optimistic going in to a new season. To me this is what being a fan is all about. We can never say for sure what The season will bring, but I'm keen as fuck for this season to begin!!!
Me too mate.

I could give a shit who is in our team I'm ALWAYS hopeful and confident the mighty Bulldogs will do well.

When the season starts panning out that's when I go all bipolar lol.
 

TwinTurbo

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Entitled to your opinion but you have some serious blue and white glasses lol.
I will say that Parra's spine is weak so I will give you that one. But the other spines shit all over ours. Ours is a 4 out of 10
Saints - Widdop/Norman/Hunt/Mcinnes. 8 out of 10
Gold Coast - Brimson/Roberts/Taylor/Peats. 7 out of 10
Raiders - Wighton/Sezer/Hodgson - 7 out of 10 even without a 5/8th
Tigers - Mbye/Reynolds/Brooks/Farrar - 8 out of 10
Cowboys - Barba/Morgan/Martin/Granville - 7 out of 10
Not sure how anyone could objectively say our spine competes with any of the above
Objective evidence;
Saints - Sun, 26 Aug 2018 Dragons 0 Bulldogs 38
Tigers - Fri, 27 Jul 2018 Bulldogs 16 Wests Tigers 4

And we are getting better, plus no Foran in those games (whether that works or not is anyone's guess, much like who is going to play 5/8 for the other 2).

Go Dogs
 

TwinTurbo

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There’s more then one position in the spine....Lichaa and Farah cancel each other out.
So Farrar is cancelling out both Foran ("hasn't delivered consistently since 2014") and Lichaa?

Go Dogs
 

Spoonman84

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So Farrar is cancelling out both Foran ("hasn't delivered consistently since 2014") and Lichaa?

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No why would you even think that?
Marshall had a decent enough season last year that’s more then you can say for Foran....
 

SweetFA

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john timu was way better then highly competent
John Timu was an All Black when we signed him, his defence was first class, could beat a player 1 on 1 as well as set up his winger. He had the skills of a half- oh & was picked to play for NZ in 1995; yeah he was better than highly competent- he was one of the reasons we were so successful
 

TwinTurbo

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john timu was way better then highly competent
It depends on how many rating levels you have above highly competent. I only have 2, simplified down to "gun" and "incomparable". In the case of Timu it would be interesting to debate between "highly competent" and "gun", but in the overall context of the 1995 team it wouldn't make a lot of difference.

Go Dogs
 

TwinTurbo

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No why would you even think that?
Marshall had a decent enough season last year that’s more then you can say for Foran....
And yet we narrowly lost the first game (without Lewis and with Foran heavily strapped and playing with pain killers) and comfortably won the second (with Lewis and without Foran) despite having 2 tries disallowed.

Go Dogs
 

Spoonman84

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And yet we narrowly lost the first game (without Lewis and with Foran heavily strapped and playing with pain killers) and comfortably won the second (with Lewis and without Foran) despite having 2 tries disallowed.

Go Dogs
There is no point comparing 2 games out of a 24 game season. Anything can happen in a game of footy so it’s ridiculous to judge off a couple of games.
 

turveys asthma puffer

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The problem with any such comparison is the 1995 team is "legendary" in Bulldogs circles. As a result I know this is a no win scenario, so just a few comparisons.

Chris Anderson, an ex Bulldogs premiership winning player, was the coach, as is Dean Pay who was a prop in the winning 1995 team.
The centres were John Timu and Mathew Ryan, highly competent but hardly world beaters (sound familiar?). Ryan was the leading try scorer in the NRL but not for a couple more years, same year he played for NSW.
The wingers were Jason Williams and the goal kicking legend Darryl Halligan, who is Rhyse Martin's kicking coach.
Steve Price was in his 1st full year, playing 2nd row, and wouldn't play for the Cane Toads for another couple of years, but on their radar (sound familiar?).
Of course Terry Lamb is .....well ... Terry Lamb and hence incomparable.

What I liked about the 1995 team was that they played as team, for the team and hunted in a pack. They were ruthless, especially in defence (just ask Glen Lazarus). My biggest hope is this team can emulate that attitude.

Go Dogs
If transported from 95 Mathew Ryan and John Timu would be the best two players in our current backline hands down
 

TwinTurbo

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There is no point comparing 2 games out of a 24 game season. Anything can happen in a game of footy so it’s ridiculous to judge off a couple of games.
OK, so in a 24 game season we had a better for and against record than the Tigers. And the Knights, Cowboys, Titans, Sea Eagles and Eels despite a monsterous disruption in the club leadership and team playing roster.

I understand the concept of flying under the radar, surprising everyone, under promising and over delivering. But I’m having serious problems comprehending how this year can be worse than last year’s debacle.

Go Dogs
 

TwinTurbo

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If transported from 95 Mathew Ryan and John Timu would be the best two players in our current backline hands down
As I posted, we could debate teams from different eras all day, week, month, year. We’re in agreement that Timu was great in ‘95, but I don’t think Ryan hit his best until ‘97. So I’m looking forward to seeing how Smith and Lewis develop in 2 years, what Foran is like with a full pre season uninjured, how much more there is in Holland and whether Meaney lives up to his potential. There’s no way 2019 is like 1995, but maybe it’s like 1993 on the way to 1994 and then 1995. That would be nice.

Go Dogs
 

Spoonman84

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OK, so in a 24 game season we had a better for and against record than the Tigers. And the Knights, Cowboys, Titans, Sea Eagles and Eels despite a monsterous disruption in the club leadership and team playing roster.

I understand the concept of flying under the radar, surprising everyone, under promising and over delivering. But I’m having serious problems comprehending how this year can be worse than last year’s debacle.

Go Dogs
You can’t just put it down to results and stats. It’s not as black and white as that when talking about something specific like a spine. You could have the worlds best spine and no forwards so it’s useless.

I’m reserving judgment on this season because there’s so many variables that we don’t know yet. We could honestly finish anywhere between the spoon and top 4. What if Lewis suffers second year syndrome, Foran gets injured in round 1 or doesn’t regain form and Lichaa continues to plod along then we are in massive danger of getting the spoon on the flip side they perform then we are in the hunt.
 

c-b-b

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Good article, obviously with blue and white goggles on which is fine and every team and supporter has the right to be optimistic before a ball is kicked off in a season.

I don't like the 95 comparisons though. It's 2019 the games evolved from what it was when we won in 95 or 04. If the aim is trying to build the mentality and attitude of those teams then yes all for it.
 

Alan79

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This years team has the chance to make their own mark on the game. Comparison to other Bulldogs teams of the past or to current opposition is useless at this stage. With so many relatively green players, the emphasis is on them taking the chances available to them. They're either going to fire or fail. But I'm hopeful that we recruited wisely with limited funds. As long as we're competitive every week and improving as the season goes on I'll be happy.

Obviously I want to see us feature in the finals series too. But even if the club develops talent in enough positions so we can attack recruitment selectively with just a few positions of need ahead of next season it's a positive year for the club. But I do expect to see us play finals football.
 

Jean-Claude Juncker

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I reckon to this day, Lazo still regrets running into Dean Pay in the 95 Semi. Deadset looked like he ran into a brick wall.
Without Pay against St George we don’t go any further in 95. He took on Tallis, Stevens and Barnhill by himself that day. Tallis was intent on causing havoc but Pay sorted him out. I still remember when the scrum brawl broke out and spilled over the sideline and the commentary saying “Pay’s run 40 or 50 metres to have a lash at Tallis.”
 
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