2010 NRL premiership season preview with Brandy: Canterbury-Bankstown - Foxsports
Foxsports.com.au and Greg Alexander bring you all you need to know about Canterbury-Bankstown, Brandy's tip to finish sixth in the 2010 NRL premiership season.
New faces: Steve Turner (Melbourne Storm), Blake Green (Cronulla Sharks), Junior Tia-Kilifi (Penrith), Mickey Paea (St George Illawarra Dragons), Dene Halatau (Wests Tigers), and Corey Payne (Wests Tigers).
Shown the door: Hazem El Masri (Retired), Greg Eastwood (Leeds), Daryl Millard (Wakefield), John Kite (Melbourne Storm), Matt Utai (Celtic Crusaders), Daniel Holdsworth (Salford) and Liam Ayoub (Wests Tigers).
“ The experience of their key men puts them in a good position for their week-to-week grind through the competition. ” – Greg Alexander Last year: Canterbury-Bankstown were back to their brutal best in 2009. Coming off the wooden spoon the previous year, the new-look Bulldogs finished the regular season in second spot on percentage. It took a red-hot Parramatta to end their premiership march in the preliminary final. The chance to send out retiring hero Hazem El Masri was a motivating factor as the Bulldogs fell one game short of the big dance.
Room for improvement: The Bulldogs must not rely so heavily on their big three of Brett Kimmorley, Michael Ennis, and Ben Hannant. The club's 34-12 defeat to Wests Tigers in round 26 was unforgivable just a week out from the finals, with Kimmorley's absence no excuse. Leading players like Ben Roberts, David Stagg and Michael Hodgson need to take on more responsibility, while 19-year-old centre Jamal Idris’s defensive deficiencies need to be rectified because he will be targeted.
Game breaker: Ben Barba is the X-factor the Bulldogs need somewhere in their line-up. Capable of playing at halfback, five-eighth or fullback, 20-year-old Barba has the attacking flair to create something out of nothing. Canterbury-Bankstown lacked the element of surprise in their preliminary final defeat to Parramatta. Time for Barba to step up.
Rising star: 21-year-old Penrith recruit Junior Tia-Kilifi is one of the brightest up-and-coming wingers in the game. With only a handful of NRL starts under his belt at the Panthers, the Samoan international is itching for an opportunity to break out at the Bulldogs. Bryson Goodwin and Steve Turner stand in Junior’s way of making a name for himself on the flank, but Tia-Kilifi will get his opportunity.
Last chance: Time is running out for Kimmorley to win that elusive second premiership. The over-achieving Bulldogs almost made Kimmorley's dream a reality last year when nobody else saw it coming. With this rumoured to be the veteran halfback’s final season, 2010 is shaping as Kimmorley's last shot. The Bulldogs have the size, speed and skill to be the best team in the competition; Kimmorley now just needs to provide the finishing touches. The biggest difference this time around is that the Bulldogs are expected to succeed.
Coach factor: Kevin Moore is under pressure to prove his memorable debut season was no fluke. Moore was instrumental in guiding the ‘family club’ back to the good days, both on and off the field. An unexpected preliminary final appearance speaks volumes for Moore’s coaching ability - now it’s time to keep the foot on the pedal. Expectation will be high and it will be interesting to see how Moore copes with that pressure.
Fox Sports Stats: Since winning the competition in 2004, the Bulldogs have weakened considerably in defence. In the past five seasons they have become one of the worst teams when it comes to missed tackles. Past five seasons stats: 2005 - 40.3p/g (11th), 2006 - 39.5 p/g (14th), 2007 - 40.6p/g (13th), 2008 - 46p/g (16th) and 2009 - 36.9p/g (15th).
Greg Alexander says: "The experience of their key men puts them in a good position for their week-to-week grind through the competition. Kimmorley and Ennis were fantastic last year and will again be solid. They also have plenty of strike weapons out wide."
The Adjudicator says: "Bulldogs fans are wondering how they will replace Hazem El Masri. Good question: it's not that often a player comes along and is able to survive 14 years with a minimum of ability outside of goal kicking. The Berries just might have to settle for genuinely talented outside backs like Steve Turner to get the job done while Benjamin Button Kimmorley assumes the vacant mantle of cult hero."
Fantasy banker/darkhorse: Steve Turner (7.0) provides plenty of value on the right flank. The former Melbourne Storm flyer makes a good habit of finding the try-line and will also be the back-up goal kicker. Junior Tia-Kilifi, for the reasons mentioned above. At 5.0, he is a bargain.