Building a Club (Something to be Proud of)

[spaced_monkey]

Hi all. First timer at posting here.
Do those who are old enough to remember the 80’s and 90’s this isn’t our first rodeo at rebuilding the club. Sure others like Greenberg and Hasler have tried but they had short term goals in mind at the time.
Success often starts at the bottom so our results in juniors and Reggie’s shows there’s a path forward with some actual planning being done
“In Gus We Trust” is overused but if we look at a holistic view, the club (which should be the main focus) is improving far quicker than most thought.
I get frustrated with results but this year I’m not frustrated with effort because for the first time in a long time I believe that the effort is momentum.
Sure, no club is perfect and we will sign some duds but we will unearth some good’uns too but I think the nett effect with put us on the right path for the long term.
Each week I am now looking for green shoots and positives that we will use to build us back into a good club. It’s easy to be deflated by losses but I would rather follow the positive mindset that the club is embracing and take that leap of faith. Anyway, always - Go the Dogs!

 

[habs]

Thanks for joining and good first post. All the teams we struggled against seem to have more stability than us and a core group of players who have played together. We are improving but its really incremental and you can see it on the field. But the complete performance with consistency I’m afraid to say is years away. Gus’s formula is pretty simple. We don’t have the luxuries that other clubs seem to have e.g salary cap sombrero, one town team, seasoned elite coaching and pathway programs (not yet anyway but they are being implemented) etc. The only way forward is stability and bringing through a core group of players that know each other’s games through the bulldogs culture and system. Barring some miracle, we will be hard to watch for some time. A goal for this year IMO is to win 11 games, which should be now revised due to injuries.

 

[Noosa Dog]

I agree with the OP and have adjusted my mindset for this year, especially since the injury to Fox, Kikau and Kiraz.

Although I would have liked to see us make the 8 this year, I also am being realistic with the crazy amount of injuries we have suffered.

Apart from the Halfback issue we seem to be building nicely in most other facets and if we can sort the HB issue and have better luck with injuries, I think we can be a top 8 team next year.

I know this all sounds like ground hog day but I truly believe there are signs we are turning the corner (albeit a bit slower than hoped)

Rather than turning the game of while watching yesterday as we looked like we were about to get smashed, I decided to keep watching and look for any positives.

Onwards and upwards…

 

[lukedog]

This year is finished.. next year we go on a proper hunt

 

[wendog33]

It's over for 2023 probably, although we hope.

Time to put some games (eg well managed 20 mins different games/players rotation) into the best of our Cup crop to prepare them for '24.

That way games aren't wasted on players like Burns etc. who look likely to have already reached their ceiling.....there's a place for them as injury back ups but not first choices.

We aren't going places this year but we can salvage the season's outcome by developing some players into f/g for the future.

 

[John Matrix]

While the season might be done they can still put in effort and make the most of it, that's how you earn respect.

 

[diddly]

The performance of HM to make the grand final - beating a Penrith side that had put 50 on them two weeks ago was a positive sign - as is the form of the Flegg side. The NSW cup side despite losing yesterday are also showing a lot of positives - these successes reflect an improvement across the club. The NRL team, despite the injuries are probably the most disappointing.

 

[Chris Harding]

I agree with the OP and have adjusted my mindset for this year, especially since the injury to Fox, Kikau and Kiraz.

Although I would have liked to see us make the 8 this year, I also am being realistic with the crazy amount of injuries we have suffered.

Apart from the Halfback issue we seem to be building nicely in most other facets and if we can sort the HB issue and have better luck with injuries, I think we can be a top 8 team next year.

I know this all sounds like ground hog day but I truly believe there are signs we are turning the corner (albeit a bit slower than hoped)

Rather than turning the game of while watching yesterday as we looked like we were about to get smashed, I decided to keep watching and look for any positives.

Onwards and upwards…

This is the first season, in a long time, where I have actually felt positive after some of our losses. We have had a perfect storm of injuries and decisions going against us, but there has been a determination in the makeshift team that has been absent in previous years.

As our regulars come back from injury, we will be a thorn in the side of a few teams, and start to win enough games to at least get us away from the spoon.

When we get the inevitable "I'm looking forward to next season" posts after this year's GF, I might be inclined to agree with them.

 

[diddly]

This is the first season, in a long time, where I have actually felt positive after some of our losses. We have had a perfect storm of injuries and decisions going against us, but there has been a determination in the makeshift team that has been absent in previous years.

As our regulars come back from injury, we will be a thorn in the side of a few teams, and start to win enough games to at least get us away from the spoon.

When we get the inevitable "I'm looking forward to next season" posts after this year's GF, I might be inclined to agree with them.

Add Pele Kikau Thompson Kiraz JAc and the team looks ok - do you have concerns about the decision making of coaching/ recruitment - i cannot understand the signing n use of Reynolds, having Okunbor anywhere near fg, the signing of Hoffman to top 30, Brandon Clarke?? etc

 

[Chris Harding]

Add Pele Kikau Thompson Kiraz JAc and the team looks ok - do you have concerns about the decision making of coaching/ recruitment - i cannot understand the signing n use of Reynolds, having Okunbor anywhere near fg, the signing of Hoffman to top 30, Brandon Clarke?? etc

I don't have the skills to coach a first grade side, and I don't have access to the books to see what we have available to chase talent.
It may be that we had to choose what was available.

Given the right training, a big unit like Okunbor could be devastating on the field, but he lacks the aggression to make him a star. He could be our Sivu.

Reynolds was not the player that many hold him up to be. He has passion, but lacks the skills to match.

I think that the succession planning we now have in place will eventually pay off, but there will be some lean times to come.

 

[Sauce Head]

I agree with the OP and have adjusted my mindset for this year, especially since the injury to Fox, Kikau and Kiraz.

Although I would have liked to see us make the 8 this year, I also am being realistic with the crazy amount of injuries we have suffered.

Apart from the Halfback issue we seem to be building nicely in most other facets and if we can sort the HB issue and have better luck with injuries, I think we can be a top 8 team next year.

I know this all sounds like ground hog day but I truly believe there are signs we are turning the corner (albeit a bit slower than hoped)

Rather than turning the game of while watching yesterday as we looked like we were about to get smashed, I decided to keep watching and look for any positives.

Onwards and upwards…

So true about watching on the the end. The Sharks got 2 tries in the 2nd half and we would have gone to water in the last few years and got smashed. It was similar with Parra.
We are getting beat, no doubt about it and we are near the bottom of the table, same as last year, but there is a different feeling to how we are dealing with difficult situations.
Still, hard to explain to my 9yo son who has seen nothing but losses since following the doggies! I try to tell him it’s gonna get better!

 

[diddly]

So true about watching on the the end. The Sharks got 2 tries in the 2nd half and we would have gone to water in the last few years and got smashed. It was similar with Parra.
We are getting beat, no doubt about it and we are near the bottom of the table, same as last year, but there is a different feeling to how we are dealing with difficult situations.
Still, hard to explain to my 9yo son who has seen nothing but losses since following the doggies! I try to tell him it’s gonna get better!

Instead of watching live gamesShow him replays from 2009 2012 2004 etc - but dont tell him

 

[spaced_monkey]

Add Pele Kikau Thompson Kiraz JAc and the team looks ok - do you have concerns about the decision making of coaching/ recruitment - i cannot understand the signing n use of Reynolds, having Okunbor anywhere near fg, the signing of Hoffman to top 30, Brandon Clarke?? etc

Yeah, some signings will always frustrate. I’m not sure on recruitment. No team is perfect at that and you can only sign what’s available. Maybe some purchases were just to plug some holes and see if they surprise you. Maybe it’s simple math, for every Preston you unearth, you also get two blokes that won’t make it. I’m a bit old school so I like Grub and what he brings. Okunbor seems to go better in the middle and maybe he’s cheap so it’s value for money. He might struggle to make the full strength team though

 

[D0GMATIC]

Hi all. First timer at posting here.
Do those who are old enough to remember the 80’s and 90’s this isn’t our first rodeo at rebuilding the club. Sure others like Greenberg and Hasler have tried but they had short term goals in mind at the time.
Success often starts at the bottom so our results in juniors and Reggie’s shows there’s a path forward with some actual planning being done
“In Gus We Trust” is overused but if we look at a holistic view, the club (which should be the main focus) is improving far quicker than most thought.
I get frustrated with results but this year I’m not frustrated with effort because for the first time in a long time I believe that the effort is momentum.
Sure, no club is perfect and we will sign some duds but we will unearth some good’uns too but I think the nett effect with put us on the right path for the long term.
Each week I am now looking for green shoots and positives that we will use to build us back into a good club. It’s easy to be deflated by losses but I would rather follow the positive mindset that the club is embracing and take that leap of faith. Anyway, always - Go the Dogs!

We're headed that way again, this year has been a bit of a detour though

 

[Eesma]

It's wild how quickly people have gone to panic stations recently. The club is on the right trajectory. We've just taken a bit of a detour, due to injuries. We've made good signings (and I'm sure there'll be more to come) and found some standout juniors. Gould has done some amazing work in fixing up our lower grades and the club will be all the better for it in coming years. Ciraldo might make some mistakes but so do all new head coaches. TK are bipolar. Before the injury crisis, when we'd won 3 games early in the season, people applauded him. Now, with the worst injury crisis the club's seen in years, I'm seeing posts like, "Ciraldo is a fraud." Yikes. Despite how far off the rails this season has gone, we still somehow look better than we have in years. We can't undo the damage that was done to our club over 1 or 2 seasons but that too often seems to be the fans' expectation.

 

[diddly]

It's wild how quickly people have gone to panic stations recently. The club is on the right trajectory. We've just taken a bit of a detour, due to injuries. We've made good signings (and I'm sure there'll be more to come) and found some standout juniors. Gould has done some amazing work in fixing up our lower grades and the club will be all the better for it in coming years. Ciraldo might make some mistakes but so do all new head coaches. TK are bipolar. Before the injury crisis, when we'd won 3 games early in the season, people applauded him. Now, with the worst injury crisis the club's seen in years, I'm seeing posts like, "Ciraldo is a fraud." Yikes. Despite how far off the rails this season has gone, we still somehow look better than we have in years. We can't undo the damage that was done to our club over 1 or 2 seasons but that too often seems to be the fans' expectation.

I agree the club is improving - consider HM Flegg NSW Cup but fg is stagnating and unless something change s will go backwards as "belief in the process" will be totally gone.

 

[Eesma]

I agree the club is improving - consider HM Flegg NSW Cup but fg is stagnating and unless something change s will go backwards as "belief in the process" will be totally gone.

Things will change but it's tough rn. One thing this injury crisis has highlighted is how poor our depth is (though I do wonder how well any other club would hold up under the same circumstances). CC is short on options. It's not just the number of injuries but also the calibre of the players lost. Fox + Burton can be one of the deadliest combos in the comp on their day. Losing Fox was brutal. Kiraz has had a HUGE impact for us, too. Kikau was a little rocks and diamonds in his handful of Dogs games but he's a vocal leader and when he was on, he was ON. Pele looked like he was shaping up to be a really strong bench impact forward.
I only hope that the players understand and appreciate the circumstance the club is in and don't lose faith in the process. When we get players back, we'll start winning games again. We're probably still a ways off making a dent in the top 4 but I still have faith we'll end this season in a better spot than we're in now.

 

[TOTTO]

Most people on here a realistic, think there was a poll most said we will come 10th to 14th so we are on target, think we are building, and our club is slowly watching who to re sign and who not too while also watching players to sign players from other clubs who can improve our roster.

 

[Menteek]

Very valid response which is what we we’ve been all saying this year is going to entail. My opinion is that our performances have to have merit and build confidence, once we do it brings the best of us.

For example look at cowboys last year and how they are travelling this year. We need to realize that our squad the last 3 years hasn’t been up to par in regards to reserve grade let alone first grade.

my feeling is that once our backline is sorted then we can start to see results

 

[D- voice]

Hi all. First timer at posting here.
Do those who are old enough to remember the 80’s and 90’s this isn’t our first rodeo at rebuilding the club. Sure others like Greenberg and Hasler have tried but they had short term goals in mind at the time.
Success often starts at the bottom so our results in juniors and Reggie’s shows there’s a path forward with some actual planning being done
“In Gus We Trust” is overused but if we look at a holistic view, the club (which should be the main focus) is improving far quicker than most thought.
I get frustrated with results but this year I’m not frustrated with effort because for the first time in a long time I believe that the effort is momentum.
Sure, no club is perfect and we will sign some duds but we will unearth some good’uns too but I think the nett effect with put us on the right path for the long term.
Each week I am now looking for green shoots and positives that we will use to build us back into a good club. It’s easy to be deflated by losses but I would rather follow the positive mindset that the club is embracing and take that leap of faith. Anyway, always - Go the Dogs!

It took
The VISION of Peter Bullfrog Moore, Barry Nelson John McIntyre to build the modern Bulldogs.
The lack of VISION from Greenberg, Hasler and Castle to destroy it.
Now we are in the good hands of Phil Gus Gould, John Khoury and Aaron Warburton for the rebuild .
All is required is PATIENCE...