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Sleeping NRL giants wide awake
Article from Daily Telegraph
“Once you pop, you can’t stop” was a highly successful slogan for Pringles for a number of years, and while Bulldogs players probably won’t be feasting on those chips in the weeks leading into the season, they too have become addicted to something far more footy relevant – winning.
Canterbury returned to the finals for the first time since 2016 thanks in large part to the arrival of Stephen Crichton, who slotted into the new leadership role and brought Penrith’s winning culture to a club that has been starved of success.
The results were almost instant with their smaller forward pack causing mayhem in the middle, while their attack improved and the defensive resolve returned under the tutelage of Cameron Ciraldo.
The Bulldogs not only reached the finals but hosted a game in week one, only for Manly to storm home to knock them out in front of a raucous crowd that was dormant for several years but has woken from its slumber to turn Belmore into Sydney’s biggest outdoor party after every win.
It’s hard to stop eating Pringles once you open a packet, but Crichton says the winning feeling at the club is even more addictive as they look to raise the bar in 2025.
“We hit new heights last year, but that’s the level we have to get to and go past now,” he said.
“That’s the expectation that we have right now. We didn’t really have an expectation last year, but now we do based on winning games.
“I feel that’s a good pressure to have, and it goes back to being process driven at training and then getting to those moments (in games) and winning them.
“Now that we’ve had a little taste of being around those pressure moments (we want more).
“It obviously didn’t go any further into the finals last year, but that experience that we had for the younger boys to feel the energy of finals games and know that finals games are different, that’s a massive stepping stone for where we want to get to.
“We’re moving in the right direction so it’s a really exciting time for the club.”
Crichton is usually mentally and physically gassed at the end of the year given he won several titles with the Panthers and often has State of Origin or international commitments with Samoa.
But this off-season was a little different, with the superstar centre getting married and enjoying a honeymoon in Hawaii instead of travelling to England for a couple of Tests with his beloved brothers in blue.
“With the type of sport that we play, it was good to lay the hair down and relax the body and mind to prepare myself for the next season,” he said.
“International footy is always good to play, but I feel like you need that time to let the body relax and reset. I had a good one over the off-season.
“This (pre-season) was definitely harder. It will never get easier (as you get older), but it’s something you have to put in the bank to play the type of sport that we do.”
Article from Daily Telegraph
“Once you pop, you can’t stop” was a highly successful slogan for Pringles for a number of years, and while Bulldogs players probably won’t be feasting on those chips in the weeks leading into the season, they too have become addicted to something far more footy relevant – winning.
Canterbury returned to the finals for the first time since 2016 thanks in large part to the arrival of Stephen Crichton, who slotted into the new leadership role and brought Penrith’s winning culture to a club that has been starved of success.
The results were almost instant with their smaller forward pack causing mayhem in the middle, while their attack improved and the defensive resolve returned under the tutelage of Cameron Ciraldo.
The Bulldogs not only reached the finals but hosted a game in week one, only for Manly to storm home to knock them out in front of a raucous crowd that was dormant for several years but has woken from its slumber to turn Belmore into Sydney’s biggest outdoor party after every win.
It’s hard to stop eating Pringles once you open a packet, but Crichton says the winning feeling at the club is even more addictive as they look to raise the bar in 2025.
“We hit new heights last year, but that’s the level we have to get to and go past now,” he said.
“That’s the expectation that we have right now. We didn’t really have an expectation last year, but now we do based on winning games.
“I feel that’s a good pressure to have, and it goes back to being process driven at training and then getting to those moments (in games) and winning them.
“Now that we’ve had a little taste of being around those pressure moments (we want more).
“It obviously didn’t go any further into the finals last year, but that experience that we had for the younger boys to feel the energy of finals games and know that finals games are different, that’s a massive stepping stone for where we want to get to.
“We’re moving in the right direction so it’s a really exciting time for the club.”
Crichton is usually mentally and physically gassed at the end of the year given he won several titles with the Panthers and often has State of Origin or international commitments with Samoa.
But this off-season was a little different, with the superstar centre getting married and enjoying a honeymoon in Hawaii instead of travelling to England for a couple of Tests with his beloved brothers in blue.
“With the type of sport that we play, it was good to lay the hair down and relax the body and mind to prepare myself for the next season,” he said.
“International footy is always good to play, but I feel like you need that time to let the body relax and reset. I had a good one over the off-season.
“This (pre-season) was definitely harder. It will never get easier (as you get older), but it’s something you have to put in the bank to play the type of sport that we do.”
