Bulldogs players Ryan Sutton and Jacob Kiraz are calling on fans to be patient with the new incarnation of the team following a disspiriting 31-6 loss to Manly in their 2023 season opener.
The new era under coach Cameron Ciraldo started with more of a whimper than a bang as Canterbury felt the wrath of a resurgent Tom Trbojevic and an ageless Daly Cherry-Evans at Brookvale Oval on Saturday afternoon, but Sutton and Kiraz insisted that the long-term project was just beginning and that plenty of positives could be found in their performance.
“Our D was great,” said Sutton. “We gave away too much unforced ball and were under the pump, but I thought, especially when we were down a man, it could have been a lot worse. We backed ourselves. That’s how it’ll be. Sometimes things go against you but it’s about looking forward.
“We’ve done a lot off the field on being connected and bringing a good culture to the club. You could see that. When our backs were against the wall, giving them unforced ball and a man down, we turned up. That shows a lot of character about this squad.
“Fans should look at that and the positives. We’ve got time. There’s 20-odd rounds in this competition and finals, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket in round one. We’re ready and looking forward to round two.”
Kiraz added that, although the execution was deficient, the bond between the players was strong despite almost half of the 17 that featured at the weekend being new to the club in 2023.
“We showed our grit,” said the Lebanon international. “It doesn’t help when we complete was so bad, but defending our line as we did in the first half showed the grit we have as a team. We see the connection, so those are the positives.
“With the grit we showed, we know we can show that every game. We just need to complete more – we love defence but we don’t want to defend the whole time and eventually it breaks us. We know what we need to fix and we can focus on it this week.”
Sutton had a simple message for Doggies supporters ahead of a difficult trip to Melbourne, albeit to face a Storm missing key players in Cameron Munster, Xavier Coates and Justin Olam.
“Trust,” was his message for the fans. “We’ve got a really good system in place. You can’t dwell on round one because it’s round one and the rust is still there. We’ve only had five months together and we know as players and staff that we can do it and we just have to keep going.
“We’ve got a great test this weekend and we’re going to travel and hopefully put on a good show.
“We have games to find our feet and keep going forward. That’s what we are at the club at the minute. We’re a new squad. But, as I said, we’ve had months together and we’re ready to go.
“There’s no better place to go: Melbourne are a great side and have been for a number of years. It’s a game you want to be involved in, going down to AAMI Park and putting on a show. We want to make sure we look at the game this week and ensure that we right the wrongs.
“We’ll approach it the same way as if all their players were playing. You can’t look too much into the details, we’re going to think about ourselves.”
Kiraz said that was vital to stay calm and let the much-changed side grow into the year.
“There’s talk about what this team can do and I’ve got confidence in what this team can be, but it’s our first game together, we had three NRL debuts and a heap of club debuts, so it’s about getting the combos together,” he said.
“This year, we have more of a connection than last year, we’re all very close now. It’s a tight group. Ciro has brought some culture and we’ve got a lot of the old boys here. Bringing that in, and the connection we have, is what we have this year that we didn’t have as much last year. We just need to show it on the field and I have full confidence that we will.”
He also backed the NRL independent concussion doctor, which has come under fire after multiple incidents over the weekend.
Kiraz had been at the centre of one of them, being withdrawn before half time after a head knock that few noticed other than the NRL Bunker.
“I may have got whiplash, but I was fine after it,” said the winger.
“I got confused when the physio told me I had to get off. Obviously I know their intentions aren’t bad and they don’t want me to get out of the game, but at the time it was a crucial moment.
“I was frustrated because I wanted to go out and play and I knew I was fine to play. The last couple of years, there have been lots of head knocks and stuff like that.
“After their careers, a lot of players are suffering from that so I understand the intentions.”
