Old Bulldog
Kennel Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 1,873
- Reaction score
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I've been around long enough to see patterns that seem to apply season after season. And four (4) that stand out each year are the following ...
1. The team with the most confidence and self-belief wins the competition.
2. This is almost always demonstrated by that team that has built momentum in the latter part of the season that comes to be what seems like an unstoppable run.
3. A team that has built that but then stumbles near the end can almost always kiss their premiership prospects goodbye. And it is in this stumble that significant injuries often occur.
4. The team that can keep it's top team on the field for the latter stages of the season and right through the semis has the best chance of winning the premiership.
If you were to look at the competition objectively at the moment, you would have to say that the first 2 criteria are best met by Parramatta and Melbourne, with the Eels being out in front.
Unfortunately the Bulldogs fulfill the negative criteria of number 3 perfectly. Because they had locked up 2nd place on the ladder (it seems), they dropped their intensity, failed to show the committment in defene that has been their recent strength, completely lost their speed off the line in defence that has so frustrated and intimidated their opponents, and suffered injuries that seem like bad luck but are so often incurred when a team drops ints physical intensity.
If we lose two of our most potent and influential players for the year (Asotasi and Tonga) it will mean that we have been able to complete the requirements of criteria 4. And, if history is a guide, it will diminish our chances of taking the title enormously.
Hopefully we have the mental capacity to overcome the hurdles. It will take a mighty effort, believe me. This may be Folksie's biggest ever challenge.
And hopefully next year, if we find ourselves similarly placed come this stage of the season, we will determine to continue to build in intensity even if we have a top 2 spot tied up. It's the key to the front door of the premiership.
1. The team with the most confidence and self-belief wins the competition.
2. This is almost always demonstrated by that team that has built momentum in the latter part of the season that comes to be what seems like an unstoppable run.
3. A team that has built that but then stumbles near the end can almost always kiss their premiership prospects goodbye. And it is in this stumble that significant injuries often occur.
4. The team that can keep it's top team on the field for the latter stages of the season and right through the semis has the best chance of winning the premiership.
If you were to look at the competition objectively at the moment, you would have to say that the first 2 criteria are best met by Parramatta and Melbourne, with the Eels being out in front.
Unfortunately the Bulldogs fulfill the negative criteria of number 3 perfectly. Because they had locked up 2nd place on the ladder (it seems), they dropped their intensity, failed to show the committment in defene that has been their recent strength, completely lost their speed off the line in defence that has so frustrated and intimidated their opponents, and suffered injuries that seem like bad luck but are so often incurred when a team drops ints physical intensity.
If we lose two of our most potent and influential players for the year (Asotasi and Tonga) it will mean that we have been able to complete the requirements of criteria 4. And, if history is a guide, it will diminish our chances of taking the title enormously.
Hopefully we have the mental capacity to overcome the hurdles. It will take a mighty effort, believe me. This may be Folksie's biggest ever challenge.
And hopefully next year, if we find ourselves similarly placed come this stage of the season, we will determine to continue to build in intensity even if we have a top 2 spot tied up. It's the key to the front door of the premiership.
