Will Canterbury match Hazem El Masri’s pointscoring total from 2004?
CHRISTIAN NICOLUSSI, The Daily Telegraph
July 28, 2017 6:28pm
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HAZEM El Masri versus Des’s sorry Dogs.
Struggling Canterbury are facing the ultimate embarrassment of failing to score more points than what club favourite El Masri was able to punch out on his own during the 2004 premiership season.
The Bulldogs have posted just 260 points after 21 rounds _ the worst in the NRL _ and have been rated by the bookies as an ‘’even-money chance’’ to better El Masri’s magical 342 points.
Their eight points against Penrith on Thursday night was flattering. Finals-bound Parramatta, Manly and St George Illawarra await in the remaining five rounds.
Former proud Bulldogs last night backed El Masri to come out on top.
El Masri scored 342 points in 2004.
“Based on how they have performed this year, the great man is safe,’’ Graeme Hughes said.
Brett Kimmorley told The Saturday Telegraph: “They’ll be lucky to score 20 points the next five rounds.’’
“Watching them Thursday night, there were so many times in the attacking end the forwards were catching the ball and standing still,’’ Kimmorley said.
“It looked like the ball was going to the wrong person.
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“If the structure is too confusing, pull it back. If the players aren’t doing it by now, and they started training in November, you need to coach to the quality of the players you’ve got, not the style you want to coach as a coach.
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The attack these days is a second to two seconds faster than what it was two years ago, which means you need to play more over the ‘ad-line’, straighter running, more momentum football.
“They haven’t evolved.
Canterbury have struggled to score all season.
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They’ve got a fullback (Will Hopoate) who runs for 250m but rarely passes, and they’ve lost faith in their No. 9 (Michael Lichaa), so they’ve turned to their halfback (Moses Mbye) who they paid too much money for to go from a half to a dummy-half.
“I think your spine has to have four dynamic playmakers who can all pass and look at what is in front of them and play some adlib football.’’
Kimmorley, who finished his NRL career with the Bulldogs, said new recruits Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods would make a difference, but it was a case of ‘’replacing what they’ve got with what they’ve got’’.
“And everyone gets a year older,’’ Kimmorley said.
Hughes, who won a premiership with the Dogs in 1980 — and often vented his frustrations about the current Dogs of Snore on his ‘Talkin’ Sport’ radio program, including punting Hasler — told The Saturday Telegraph: “I don’t understand their attack, and I don’t see anything creative at all in what they do.
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“I don’t understand what has gone on with their recruiting, I don’t understand who they have been shopping around, and I certainly don’t understand how a slugfest on a rainy night can earn someone (Hasler) a two-year extension.
“I can see Kieran making a difference next year, but on what there currently is, it will need to be a massive difference.’’
The TAB were asked to frame a mock market for El Masri versus the Dogs, with Glenn Munsie happy to make Canterbury $2 hopes to reel in their golden boot.
El Masri also racked up 296 points in 2006 and 294 in 2003, two records that could still yet be out of reach for the dreadful class of 2017.