News 2021 was the year the Dogs were meant to show bite.

[D- voice]

Exactly. The media talk about us all the time because we're relevant. We have a big fan base and Bulldogs stories generate clicks.

You wouldn't believe it, the journalists keep reminding our management that Canterbury news especially bad news sells papers

 

[B-Train]

Manly and Cowboys are also winless but don’t cop half the sh!t we do from the media...

For sure. Somehow Teflon Des isn't getting crucified right now.

 

[Jean-Claude Juncker]

2021 was the year the Dogs were meant to show bite. Instead they are ‘back to square one’

Josh Jackson attempts to rally the troops after conceding a try

March 30, 2021 8:15pm
FOX SPORTS


Canterbury have endured a difficult start to 2021 and life under new coach Trent Barrett.

They were blown off the park by Newcastle in Round 1, and since then have failed to score a point in back-to-back games after losses to Penrith and Brisbane.

Barrett has rung the changes ahead of Friday’s clash with Souths, which sees them come up against a man they nearly signed, Benji Marshall.

Marshall's value as a utility has been hailed as one of the smartest pieces of business after Souths’ bright start to 2021.


This year was the season that the Dogs were supposed to be free of salary cap constraints after the club was crippled by back-ended deals.


But their headline-grabbing signings have been unable to lift them out of the race to the bottom.

The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Kent warned the Bulldogs on NRL360 on Fox League that making rash decisions on the run would only hurt the club for longer.

“They had some salary cap issues that they’ve finally got through. I feel sorry for Canterbury because they’ve had to go back to square one,” he said.

“I think the way the cap works these days, the fact we have no sort of draft in place, there’s a false market in the cap in that if I’m worth $500,000, Canterbury have to offer me $550,000 to get there. The Roosters or Storm only offer me $450,000.”

Kent’s Telegraph colleague, Paul Crawley argued that the Bulldogs missed a trick by not taking on a relatively cheap Marshall to help guide their young halves.


They had Benji prepared to go there on the smell of an oily rag. Seriously, he was not chasing money – he was chasing opportunity and the thought he was heading to the Bulldogs.

“Souths came up at the last minute when he had nowhere to go. Don’t you give a guy like that an opportunity?

“His experience takes a lot of pressure off Kyle Flanagan, because at the moment Kyle Flanagan is going backwards. They’re playing without confidence whatsoever.”


Flanagan dropped a simple pass in the loss to Brisbane and from there the Broncos fought their way back into the game.

Kent urged Barrett to simplify the Dogs’ game plan in a bid to reignite the confidence within his side.

“I think Canterbury have to go back to fundamental football,” he added.

“That’s what turns them around – catch, pass, three on two, make the right call.

“It’s simple stuff. They’ve struggled to get to their kick, poor old Kyle Flanagan, you watch them and they make a break and he got the ball and he dropped his lollies.

“It’s just some of the mistakes there, that’s endemic of the pressure that’s on them at the moment.

“They have to play the long game in their salary cap and their recruitment and they’ve got to play the long game in teaching these guys how to play footy.

“Respectfully, there were guys in that team on the weekend who aren’t NRL players.

“They're just not up to the level. I feel sorry for Trent Barrett who has to pick them.

“I feel sorry for the kids that have got to come in, who don’t look like they can compete on level terms.”

‘His experience takes a lot of pressure off’: Dogs slammed for cut price Benji contract bungle

‘His experience takes a lot of pressure off’: Dogs slammed for cut price Benji contract bungle

www.foxsports.com.au

On paper there is far superior talent to select from than previous seasons.

 

[Tassie Devil]

Nope, that’s wrong. She said last year we were 2.5 years into a 5 year rebuild and how she admired other clubs who’d been through it and everyone on here here was blowing up at that comment. Never said anything about 2021 being the year...

NRL 2020: Canterbury Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson opens up about future of embattled coach Dean Pay

amp.smh.com.au

View attachment 22595

Speaking sense as always mate

 

[Mr. Ditkovich]

The target was always 2022

When the board first came in, they told us that we’ll be competitive by 2021. However, the re-signings last year were all 2 year deals, which finish at the end of 2021. We only have 8 players signed after 2021: - Elliott - RFM - Jackson - Stimson - Thompson - Wakeham - DWZ - Cotric Combined...

www.thekennel.net.au

It was fairly obvious that the previous board were aiming for 2022 when they began signing everyone to 2 year deals expiring at the end of 2021.

What’s one more year when we’ve already waited 5.

 

[craigo]

No one like paul Kent but cause he is a journo his opinion gets known to every one. Let’s be honest it is what we all think also. Our team would get beaten by a reserve grade team. They are embarrassing. Be lucky to win 4-5 games all year

 

[KLil]

All good except one thing.
Simple pass my arse. Elliot fucked that.

Agree we could have gained from Benji.

The dickhead double pumped.. just pass the ball U idiot.

 

[Natboy]

not a kent fan or hater but plenty on here are giving advice yet have less knowledge than him?

Kent is a negative, biased little ****

 

[cntrbry bnkstwn]

if flannigan scores the game might have been completely different. i just want to see us out some points on and muscle up in D

even if he caught the pass and the ref let it through, it still probably would have been called no try, the pass was shithouse

 

[GDR]

The target was always 2022

When the board first came in, they told us that we’ll be competitive by 2021. However, the re-signings last year were all 2 year deals, which finish at the end of 2021. We only have 8 players signed after 2021: - Elliott - RFM - Jackson - Stimson - Thompson - Wakeham - DWZ - Cotric Combined...

www.thekennel.net.au

It was fairly obvious that the previous board were aiming for 2022 when they began signing everyone to 2 year deals expiring at the end of 2021.

What’s one more year when we’ve already waited 5.

well the problem is that going extremely bad this year will result in "sh!t team tax" for any prospective star signings... we will have to pay massive overs for players ... this was meant to be a transition season where we started moving up the table, making our team look slightly more attractive to prospective recruits..

 

[B-Train]

well the problem is that going extremely bad this year will result in "sh!t team tax" for any prospective star signings... we will have to pay massive overs for players ... this was meant to be a transition season where we started moving up the table, making our team look slightly more attractive to prospective recruits..

I think the whole paying overs narrative is overstated. We've been a rabble for seasons but we still signed Burton and Addo-Carr on great deals. Cotric and Thompson are probably the only two we've paid overs for.

It's down to the club whether they let managers take them for a ride or not. All Kent is doing is sticking the boot in again because he has an agenda. I don't hear him calling out his best mate Des and how much he's screwed their cap. They're playing worse than we are and have a lot of talent in Cherry-Evans, Tolmanjevic, Taupau, Aloai, Schuster etc.

 

[sideswip]

I seem top remember that Parra had salary cap issues not to long ago, it didnt affect them at all. why ?
they got a new stadium , rortered the cap , had drugs issues, and it all looks rosie for them at the moment.

 

[Scoooby]

We have to gel at some stage through the year... confidence of scoring a few more try’s and winning a game would definitely boost them. Confidence is king and very important, once they get that things will change I believe..!!!

 

[Jean-Claude Juncker]

No one like paul Kent but cause he is a journo his opinion gets known to every one. Let’s be honest it is what we all think also. Our team would get beaten by a reserve grade team. They are embarrassing. Be lucky to win 4-5 games all year

No one likes Kent but he has played one more first grade game than probably anyone here.

 

[DinkumDog]

Speaking sense as always mate

Light travels faster than sound mate.
That’s why some people appear bright...
...until they speak .

 

[NPC83]

Light travels faster than sound mate.
That’s why some people appear bright...
...until they speak .

Sharp as a bowling ball you reckon mate?

 

[DinkumDog]

Sharp as a bowling ball you reckon mate?

Certainly not as much polish! .

 

[KiwiDog7]

If we score first we probably romp home

That was basically the turning point Flanno dropping the ball off a shit pass from Elliott

Even at 2 nil down who here thought that deficit was like Mt Everest to overcome

Rock bottom

 

[Natboy]

No one likes Kent but he has played one more first grade game than probably anyone here.

No but his Wikipedia page is funny. From memory parra had about 15 injuries in the halves that year. The old lady in the parra leagues bistro with the bung hip and osteoporosis was next choice.

Because he played one game doesn’t mean he knows everything. He’s a negative little **** and posts controversial stuff to get clicks. Typical small man syndrome. He dresses his articles up with long winded stories that say nothing. Obviously people fall for it. If I see his name on an article I’ve stopped reading

 

[Jebbundy]

Completely agree with some of these players don’t belong in the nrl, that’s been proved over the last 3ys but we still have them, it shows with the amount off contract (could this be having a affect on the group?)
But there isn’t much we can do at this point, the injuries are hurting us, clearly players were not 100% when they came back, for jmk and rfm going down quite quickly shows this, Tolman would have added nothing, he’s not making the Sharks a force..benji would have made a difference but how much I’m not sure, but he’s better than avo has been, so maybe a try or two a game, which is better, but I’m happy to stick by Barret, it’s a make shift team for his first yr, hey bought what he could, but next yr he got 2 superstar, a hooker and a few big men in the middle change everything, if he gets a few big signings the group changes, think the Titans changed once they secured Fifita. finucane, lui, capewell, Cartwright, Crichton, peachy, su’a, Glenn, there is a few out there just need to start the chats.
It’s very hard to watch at the moment but I still feel nervous before a game, and I love it, unfortunately even our greats are not playing up to standard, not sure what’s happened to Jackson but clearly the last 5 yrs have taken its toll, they look tiny in comparison to other teams, the only change I would have thought was hoppa, he’s missing big plays in defence which puts pressure on everyone, dropped balls coming out of our own end were horrible but Katoa seems to run hard, and forward passes from our 9 is horrible kaota needs to go, maybe Lewis to 9 can tackle and kick long, but he won’t help to much in the halves I wouldn’t think beyond bringing aggression in defence, maybe it’s the spark we need..