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It hadn't really struck me till now...till the signing of John Asiata....but we just might outperform even the most optimistic Bulldogs supporters expectations for 2022.... based on recent history.
I compare how we went into 2012 to how we are lining up for 2022.
In 2011, we had Barba who had been tried as a half...then new coach Des fresh off a premiership win in 2011 threw the dice and unlocked his potential as a FB. However, most pundits didn't give the Dogs much hope of success going into 2012 because we didn't have a settled halves pairing.
Again, Des didn't despair, instead he rewrote the script on forward play, and we overcame a lack of an established top draw half by utilising the skill of our forwards creating a new dynamic of skilful rampaging forwards going to the line together and passing. Kasiano, Pritchard, Graham and Eastwood all had ball playing skills. Des overcame our deficiency in the halves....Chris Keating and Josh Reynolds this way and we had a magnificent year doing everything but win the GF.
We had 12 players from 2011 leave us at the end of 2011 much the same as this year, and the club promoted many from within as well as securing Graham before going on a buying spree to get some established backs in Perrett and Inu during 2012 when it became obvious we were building something special.
With due respect to our roster the last couple of years, no coach could've made us competitive. But the new additions of the good calibre of established players for 2022 represents the biggest roster overhaul of any team for over 10 years. So it's a reset effectively for Barrett. Realistically, Barrett's time starts now. The addition to our roster of Asiata gives us the ball playing skills we needed if he can reproduce some of his best football and this move to secure him is a throwback to 2012..... with Burton and Averillo being running halves, Asiata and the forwards running together and creating space for our halves and Dufty and Ado Carr and Cotric as dynamic finishers...the Dogs could just of assembled a roster capable of anything in 2022.
I compare how we went into 2012 to how we are lining up for 2022.
In 2011, we had Barba who had been tried as a half...then new coach Des fresh off a premiership win in 2011 threw the dice and unlocked his potential as a FB. However, most pundits didn't give the Dogs much hope of success going into 2012 because we didn't have a settled halves pairing.
Again, Des didn't despair, instead he rewrote the script on forward play, and we overcame a lack of an established top draw half by utilising the skill of our forwards creating a new dynamic of skilful rampaging forwards going to the line together and passing. Kasiano, Pritchard, Graham and Eastwood all had ball playing skills. Des overcame our deficiency in the halves....Chris Keating and Josh Reynolds this way and we had a magnificent year doing everything but win the GF.
We had 12 players from 2011 leave us at the end of 2011 much the same as this year, and the club promoted many from within as well as securing Graham before going on a buying spree to get some established backs in Perrett and Inu during 2012 when it became obvious we were building something special.
With due respect to our roster the last couple of years, no coach could've made us competitive. But the new additions of the good calibre of established players for 2022 represents the biggest roster overhaul of any team for over 10 years. So it's a reset effectively for Barrett. Realistically, Barrett's time starts now. The addition to our roster of Asiata gives us the ball playing skills we needed if he can reproduce some of his best football and this move to secure him is a throwback to 2012..... with Burton and Averillo being running halves, Asiata and the forwards running together and creating space for our halves and Dufty and Ado Carr and Cotric as dynamic finishers...the Dogs could just of assembled a roster capable of anything in 2022.