djdeep4172
Kennel Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2014
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BULLDOGS
Ladder: 16th (1-0-11, -226)
What’s gone right: Their one win over the Sharks. It was such a relieving victory that coach Trent Barrett was reduced to tears on the sideline. He admitted in the post-match press conference that it was the best win he’s ever been involved in — player or coach. So you could say Barrett’s passion for the club is certainly a plus too. Other than that nothing else has really gone right for the Bulldogs but off it, their recruitment is something the fans can smile about. During the off-season, Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr were locked in for 2022 and more recently Panthers strike centre Brent Naden signed. The platform is slowly being built for a much more competitive season next year.
What’s gone wrong: Just about everything. There was a fair bit of hope heading into this season. No one really expected the Bulldogs to play finals footy but many had tipped them to improve on last year’s 15th place finish. But after 12 rounds, they sit last with one win. At this stage of the season last year they also sat last but had two wins under their belt. So basically they’ve gone backwards. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is going wrong for the club. Last year their attack was a magnet for criticism and it hasn’t gotten any better. Not even the addition of Trent Barrett — the man lauded for Penrith’s attacking game last year — or new faces Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan and Corey Allan could help improve the Bulldogs’ spluttering attack.
The star: Luke Thompson. There was a lot of hope when he made the early move from England. He was meant to be the aggressive forward that would give Bulldogs’ pack the extra punch it so desperately needed. But last season he fell short of expectations, most likely due to his less than ideal start given he had to train himself in hotel quarantine for two weeks. But this year, with a full pre-season under his belt, Thompson has shown moments that give the long-suffering Doggies fans at least one thing to smile about. Thompson had to watch on from the sidelines for the opening month of the season due to a four-game ban for eye gouging. He returned in Round 5 against the Storm and ended the Bulldogs’ three-game points drought when he crossed for his first NRL try. That same game he notched up 128 running metres, four tackle busts, a linebreak, an offload and 20 tackles. It was a performance the Bulldogs desperately needed from their key man. Not much is going right for the Bulldogs as they languish at the bottom of the ladder but Thompson is consistently turning up for his team.
Needs to lift: It’s hard to single out just one player because despite sitting near the bottom of the ladder for the last few seasons, effort has never been an issue for the Bulldogs. But based on experience and the calibre of player he usually is, Will Hopoate has so much more to give. With 172 NRL games under his belt, the 29-year-old is one of the most experienced players at the club. When he signed with the Bulldogs he had just played State of Origin the season prior. Hopoate has been the Mr. Fix It over his six seasons at Belmore. Whether he’s been in the centres or at fullback, he’s always been extremely solid and Canterbury’s most promising player. But this season Hopoate has been a little quiet. He’s only scored one try, has had no linebreaks, just one linebreak assist and is ranked eight in the team for tackle busts (13). Defensively, he hasn’t been as rock solid as usual. He’s missed 28 tackles this season in 12 games – the third most in the team. For context, last year he played 13 games and only missed 11 tackles. But to be fair he spent the majority of last year at fullback and wasn’t forced to make as many tackles as this year. Regardless though, the Bulldogs need their most experienced players to step up and Hopoate is one of them.
Top 8 chances-
Better hope next year
Ladder: 16th (1-0-11, -226)
What’s gone right: Their one win over the Sharks. It was such a relieving victory that coach Trent Barrett was reduced to tears on the sideline. He admitted in the post-match press conference that it was the best win he’s ever been involved in — player or coach. So you could say Barrett’s passion for the club is certainly a plus too. Other than that nothing else has really gone right for the Bulldogs but off it, their recruitment is something the fans can smile about. During the off-season, Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr were locked in for 2022 and more recently Panthers strike centre Brent Naden signed. The platform is slowly being built for a much more competitive season next year.
What’s gone wrong: Just about everything. There was a fair bit of hope heading into this season. No one really expected the Bulldogs to play finals footy but many had tipped them to improve on last year’s 15th place finish. But after 12 rounds, they sit last with one win. At this stage of the season last year they also sat last but had two wins under their belt. So basically they’ve gone backwards. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is going wrong for the club. Last year their attack was a magnet for criticism and it hasn’t gotten any better. Not even the addition of Trent Barrett — the man lauded for Penrith’s attacking game last year — or new faces Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan and Corey Allan could help improve the Bulldogs’ spluttering attack.
The star: Luke Thompson. There was a lot of hope when he made the early move from England. He was meant to be the aggressive forward that would give Bulldogs’ pack the extra punch it so desperately needed. But last season he fell short of expectations, most likely due to his less than ideal start given he had to train himself in hotel quarantine for two weeks. But this year, with a full pre-season under his belt, Thompson has shown moments that give the long-suffering Doggies fans at least one thing to smile about. Thompson had to watch on from the sidelines for the opening month of the season due to a four-game ban for eye gouging. He returned in Round 5 against the Storm and ended the Bulldogs’ three-game points drought when he crossed for his first NRL try. That same game he notched up 128 running metres, four tackle busts, a linebreak, an offload and 20 tackles. It was a performance the Bulldogs desperately needed from their key man. Not much is going right for the Bulldogs as they languish at the bottom of the ladder but Thompson is consistently turning up for his team.
Needs to lift: It’s hard to single out just one player because despite sitting near the bottom of the ladder for the last few seasons, effort has never been an issue for the Bulldogs. But based on experience and the calibre of player he usually is, Will Hopoate has so much more to give. With 172 NRL games under his belt, the 29-year-old is one of the most experienced players at the club. When he signed with the Bulldogs he had just played State of Origin the season prior. Hopoate has been the Mr. Fix It over his six seasons at Belmore. Whether he’s been in the centres or at fullback, he’s always been extremely solid and Canterbury’s most promising player. But this season Hopoate has been a little quiet. He’s only scored one try, has had no linebreaks, just one linebreak assist and is ranked eight in the team for tackle busts (13). Defensively, he hasn’t been as rock solid as usual. He’s missed 28 tackles this season in 12 games – the third most in the team. For context, last year he played 13 games and only missed 11 tackles. But to be fair he spent the majority of last year at fullback and wasn’t forced to make as many tackles as this year. Regardless though, the Bulldogs need their most experienced players to step up and Hopoate is one of them.
Top 8 chances-
Better hope next year
