WIZ: The secret to Dessie’s success
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Bulldogs NRL coach Des Hasler. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
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We’re in for a wonderful game of football tonight when Hasler’s Bulldogs come up against Toovey’s Sea Eagles. If it was played at a ‘proper stadium’ at Manly, they would pack the ground out.
Such is the interest that has been generated around the Hasler vs Toovey, Hasler vs Manly, Hasler vs the Manly Board battles – all of which may or may not be real.
Regardless, this match pits two of the NRL’s most in-form and physical sides in what could well come down to a war of attrition – albiet an entertaining one.
I played against Des and I can tell you that many of the qualities he displays as a coach were already on show in the competitive halfback who always caused us trouble.
On the field, Des never left an inch untruned. If something went wrong, it didn’t matter what stage of the game it was at, Hasler tried to make something happen to turn things around.
It’s no surprise then that both sides that he has coached first grade at – the Bulldogs and the Sea Eagles – represent precisely what Hasler is all about: the players work right to the end, and they work for each other, as a team.
And Des has a knack for being able to bring the best of talented, but misdirected, players.
Michael Ennis is a good example.
Look at all the things that went wrong for Ennis last year. This year, by contrast, he has lead by example and stayed out of trouble.
Krisnan Inu is another.
He came from the Warriors, where he was largely unwanted. Des sat him down and said “these are the rules, follow them and you’ll be fine.” And Inu has thrived under his strict tutelage.
Hasler has had to make some tough decisions already in his short time at the Bulldogs, with injuries hitting the club hard. But by bringing in the likes of Inu and Sam Perett, he has created a team environment where most players are always competing for their spot.
And that makes for a strong team.
Whatever really happened at Manly last year, we may never know. But to his credit, Hasler never went to the papers to complain. He kept it all in-house.
I admire people that do that. These sorts of things don’t need to be played out in the media.
And neither, I might add, did Sam Kasiano’s ‘high shot’ need to be played out in front of the judiciary.
Yes, he did hit Moi Moi high. But Fui Fui fell into the tackle. To have a Grade 2 charge thrown at him and then for him to get off, as he should have, it was a disgrace.
The guys on the match review committee need to take a long look in mirror. How could Kasiano pull out of that tackle? He’s around 6 ft 4 and 120 kgs.
It was an absolute joke that he was even cited.
Gary 'Wiz' Freeman is one of the great halfbacks in New Zealand rugby league history. Now an outspoken and popular media personality, he joined The Roar in 2012 as an expert rugby league columnist, and continues in 2013.
The Crowd Says (12) | Page 1 of Comments
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July 20th 2012 @ 10:31am
Haradasun said | July 20th 2012 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Good read. (As a Manly fan) let me also add that Dessie’s strength this year, has been to be able to coach what is in front of him so to speak. He has looked at the players on the Bulldogs roster and built a gameplan around that which was very different to his style at Manly. That is a sign of a good coach.
It in an interesting comparison against the fall of Steve Kearney. In my view he failed as he was not able to adapt a gameplan according to the players he had available. The highly structured storm style just never worked at Parramatta, but Kearney’s failure as a coach was his inability to see that.
July 20th 2012 @ 12:16pm
Christo the Daddyo said | July 20th 2012 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
“If it was played at a ‘proper stadium’ at Manly, they would pack the ground out.”
What do you mean by this?
July 20th 2012 @ 1:15pm
tonysalerno said | July 20th 2012 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
A lot of media build-up; it’s a good story for whoever wins.
For Manly; if they win- they can stick it to Des for leaving and prove they still have what it takes to win the competition without him.
As for the Dogs- Des can go to Manly and prove he is the thing Manly is missing and that he is the secret behind premiership success.
July 20th 2012 @ 2:07pm
Gerry @ YourLawnAndGarden said | July 20th 2012 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
This article about Des or Sam?
July 20th 2012 @ 3:51pm
solly said | July 20th 2012 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
Exactly.
This article fizzled out into nothing.
July 20th 2012 @ 2:17pm
oikee said | July 20th 2012 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
Come-on, Des had a team of Origin and Internationals vertually unchamged for the last 7 years. Have a look, i did.
They just showed a game from 2005, the dogs verse Manly, Manly had lyons, Watmough, King, Kite, Stewarts Matai, a whole team of origin and internationals, these same dinosaurs are still running around today with Manly.
Look at the Dogs roster sinse then, You mention ennis, Mate the Broncos let him go, along with many other players to prop up the dogs at this time of need.
Not Manly, they flew under Dessies so called magic money radar, never lost any origin or internationals while the good clubs got gutted.
The Dogs are now magically calling on outside players to prop up Dessies magic Dog club. Inu and Perret, how many more to keep this club above water. they lose Barber or Morris they gone.
The Broncos are ready to take these pretenders down, with a bunch of kids because we had to shed all our star players to other clubs while Manly and the Dogs have only gained.
The Broncos have already sheded two of our best players, bearle and Teo for next year, these other clubs only seem to be signing more and more.
July 20th 2012 @ 3:08pm
Mals said | July 20th 2012 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
Stop lying Oikee, you are fabricating complete rubbish.
The year 2005
Glenn Stewart – False. He didn’t start playing for Australian until 2008. His first Origin game was in 2009.
Brett Stewart – False. He didn’t play for Australian until 2007. His first Origin game was in 2007.
Steve Matai – False. He was in his ROOKIE season at Manly in 2005
Lyon – False. He started playing for Manly in 2007. in 2005 he was at ST HELENS in the UK
Watmough – partly true. He played his FIRST game for NSW in 2005. He did not play for Australia until 2008.
Kite – partly true. He started playing for NSW in 2004. He did not play for Australia into 2006.
July 20th 2012 @ 4:57pm
apaway said | July 20th 2012 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
Mals
Thanks, Oikee makes things up as he wants and is incredibly bitter about Manly’s success, forgetting that in 1997 the Sea Eagles lost a grand final against a team whose best player that day was later found to be a drug cheat, and in 2007 lost to a team who were later found to have cheated the salary cap.
Not to mention that Manly have picked up “cast-offs from other clubs (Mauro, Williams, Buhrer et al) and got more out of them than their previous clubs. Or that they have shed players just like other clubs (Menzies, Robertson, Warrea-Hargreaves, Cuthbertson, Hodgkinson, Bell, Orford) to name but a few.
July 20th 2012 @ 5:10pm
Matt said | July 20th 2012 @ 5:10pm | Report comment
Are you kidding me…. Hargraves? Hodginkson? Orford? If I was a manly fan I would thank GOD they were gone. They’ve gained a hell of a lot more than they have lost.
July 20th 2012 @ 2:44pm
JVGO said | July 20th 2012 @ 2:44pm | Report comment
Seriously i am mystified as to the softness of the Dogs draw. They haven’t really beaten anyone all year except for a depleted Melbourne and Sharks during Origin which has left them largely unaffected. Sorry but when they beat some top sides at full strength they can approach premiership favouritism or something. Tonight will be a legitimate test for them at least, probably the first for them in a couple of months.
July 20th 2012 @ 5:13pm
Matt said | July 20th 2012 @ 5:13pm | Report comment
Was talking about that the other day… some teams have to play melbourne twice, manly twice etc… and teams like parramatta, roosters etc once. Especially teams that are in contention for the 8, if their opponents have a nicer schedule they can easily get a few wins up on them and make the 8, even though they were a worse side.
But there’s no real solution unless they shorten or extend the season.
July 20th 2012 @ 6:50pm
solly said | July 20th 2012 @ 6:50pm | Report comment
I think the attention the Bulldogs have attracted is, in part, due to their playing style.
One writer suggested that they are not playing ‘yet another version’ of Melbourne’s style and consequently, they are interesting to watch.
There could be something of merit in this.