Bulldogs youngster Brandon Wakeham benefiting from cross-code sessions with GWS Giants

Scoooby

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Lewis has the 7 and Cogger Wakehamup fighting for 6....thoughts?

Lewis 7?
Wakeham/Cogger 6?
Wakeham all day, I mean he should get the first shot (only my opinion) even though deans golden boy cogger will, let’s just hope when wakeham does he nails it and stays there.!!
 

DinkumDog

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Wakeham all day, I mean he should get the first shot (only my opinion) even though deans golden boy cogger will, let’s just hope when wakeham does he nails it and stays there.!!
Deano’s job is on the line in 2020.
If he picks anyone other than the strongest possible team and for no other reason he’s doing himself a dis-service as well as the club. Let’s hope he makes wise choices...
 

Scoooby

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Deano’s job is on the line in 2020.
If he picks anyone other than the strongest possible team and for no other reason he’s doing himself a dis-service as well as the club. Let’s hope he makes wise choices...
Yup let’s bloody hope so, and it’s no secret he will need a big 2020 to stay. I will back him for now until I can see reason not too. Benefit of the doubt one last time.
 

Teddybear

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Hope he ensures the starting 17 get to play the majority of the trials to get match fit.

Need to be quick off the blocks in 2020
Yup let’s bloody hope so, and it’s no secret he will need a big 2020 to stay. I will back him for now until I can see reason not too. Benefit of the doubt one last time.
 

Dogs Of War

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It’s a shame he’s so small I don’t think we can go with 2 x small halves Wakeham and Cogger. Lewis will need to partner one of them in the half’s.

Yeah, thats the thinking that let Thurston go to the Cowboys cause we had Sherwin. If Sherwin and Thurston were the halves and Anasta moved on, we would have had so many more premierships in that era.
 

Chris Harding

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Canterbury have enlisted the help of AFL side the GWS Giants in a bid to improve their kicking game in 2020 following the horror injury to Kieran Foran.

The Bulldogs’ big-money half went down with a shoulder injury a Kiwis Test match with Great Britain.

And it has meant Dogs coach Dean Pay must turn to a set of relatively inexperienced halves – Jack Cogger (37 NRL games), Lachlan Lewis (24) and Brandon Wakeham (3) – to take Canterbury’s two playmaking spots.

Wakeham, who only made his debut in a Round 15 win against Cronulla, says he has found the cross-code sessions with GWS beneficial as Canterbury aim to improve on last season’s 12th-placed finish.

“The kickers, the halves and hookers and the outside backs go out to GWS once a week, or one of the coaches comes here and helps us with our kicking and catching,” Wakeham revealed to foxsports.com.au

“I’ve only been back for three weeks and you can see with the boys who have been there a while, the kicking is starting to improve.

“It hasn’t been a massive improvement so far, but we’ve been seeing subtle changes on our techniques and stuff.

“And it’s good to have someone who comes in and teaches you something different.”

Wakeham, 20, starred in the end-of-season Tests for Fiji, helping the Bati to see off Samoa and Papua New Guinea in the Oceania Cup.

And after cementing himself as Fiji’s No. 7, he wants to carry that form into Bulldogs colours in 2020.

“I want to push for a starting spot come Round 1,” Wakeham stated.

“There’s three halves now, there’s Jack, Lachie and myself battling it out for those two spots one of us is going to have to miss out. I really want to start a lot of games in the top grade.

“I hate seeing anyone get injured, let alone Kieran and what he’s been through. But for me, it’s a step closer to playing NRL a bit more this year.

“It’s not good seeing that. Kieran’s an experienced and big-game player that we’ll need given we have a young squad and young spine. I’m sure in training he’ll tip us as we go.

“Kieran and Johnathan Thurston were two of the guys I tried to base my game around [growing up].

“Thurston competed on every play and doesn’t give up.

“And Kieran, I love how straight and direct he plays at the line. I try to bring some of that into my game, he gets whacked by the big boys but that frees us up out way.”
I played Aussie Rules as a junior, with a break playing league in my early twenties. The kicking, and speed required for Rules was a help for me as a winger.
Eventually, I found league too tough - I weighed 56 kilo; so went back to Rules; but only for a season. I was always a very average player; so I went off to London to look for work and adventure.
 

mikey

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It’s a shame he’s so small I don’t think we can go with 2 x small halves Wakeham and Cogger. Lewis will need to partner one of them in the half’s.
Thurston was small too and we let him go...
 

Scoooby

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If wakeham fires and gets a red hot shot, we may have an massive year and we will definitely be a surprise. It’s exciting knowing we have a young guy like this coming onto the scene.
 
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