After a disappointing start to the season, the Bulldogs have started to find some form.
The returns of the biggest halves pairing in rugby league history, Sam Kasiano and James Graham, has been a huge boost for the struggling side and Ben Barba is starting to find his feet once again after a tumultuous beginning to his 2013 campaign.
The beginning of the year was always going to be a difficult period for the boys from Bankstown, playing the current top four in succession from Rounds 3 through 6.
Since that run of contenders ended, the Doggies have won four of their last five, with the only blemish being a 44-8 belting at the hands of the fifth placed Newcastle Knights.
The Bulldogs come into Round 12 with a 5-6 record. Thanks to a very advantageous draw over the Origin period, barring any major personnel changes, they are in a prime position to begin a charge up the ladder, which will see them firmly seated in the top eight come their second and final bye in Round 19.
First off they face a struggling St George at home. The boys in blue and white will be without Josh Morris and Josh Reynolds, while their local rivals miss their best forward Trent Merrin and the other half of the Morris twins.
The 2010 premiership winners have lost four from their past five and still cannot buy a try. They were held to nil last week and are holding the mantle of being the lowest scoring team in the competition so far.
Next up come another team facing an uphill battle to make the eight, the North Queensland Cowboys. It’s up at 1300SMILES Stadium, but the Cowboys have a less than inspiring record at home, winning two and losing two.
In addition, their three most influential players, Matthew Scott, James Tamou and Johnathan Thurston, will have to back up from Origin 72 hours later, if they back up at all. The mercurial Matt Bowen will also miss this game through injury.
The fresh Canterbury prop rotation and spine will likely be a class above what the Cowboys can put on the field.
The third game of their Origin period run will be the toughest – the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval.
Both sides will have their full complement of representative players and fortress Brookvale is an extremely hostile environment for visiting teams on the best of days.
The 2013 Manly side have a home record of 4-2 and currently sit in fourth position. This will be the game that tells the rugby league world whether the Dogs have the teeth to cut in the 2013 competition.
Following their acid test, the Dogs, either licking their wounds or savouring a fourth straight win, will play the currently third placed Roosters at ANZ Stadium.
Origin stars will be on duty again, leaving the Bondi boys extremely vulnerable, as the Dogs are unlikely to lose any more players and the Roosters will probably be without their three most influential players with only two initials, James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce and Michael Jennings.
There is even the possibility Martin Kennedy could be a call-up to the Queensland side if they decide they need an extra prop for game two.
The Dogs have their first bye in Round 16. Although the bye will no doubt give Parramatta a run for their money, Canterbury-Bankstown will come out of this game with another two points in the bank.
The Knights in Mackay is their next mission. Newcastle are the NRL’s Jekyll and Hyde, they are so unpredictable it’s almost unfathomable they are coached by the legendary Wayne Bennett.
The current away record for the Novocastrians is terrible, one win from five starts, which includes a 30 point loss to the Raiders in Round 9 and a 32 point loss to the Sea Eagles in Round 2. They are also likely to be without skipper Kurt Gidley and powerful winger Aku Uate.
The final battle of the Origin period comes at home against an Origin-depleted Melbourne Storm. Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith will play no part in this game and, judging from the game one teams, neither will Ryan Hoffman.
There could Origin be call-ups for Ben Barba and Tony Williams, but I deem that unlikely and in either case, I would still say the Bulldogs should go in as favourites with the big three unavailable and the Bulldogs maintaining most of their best players.
Round 19 is the second and final bye for the Bulldogs.
So there it is. The Bulldogs have received one of the best draws possible for this tough period, facing two of the best teams in the competition minus their huge stars, a hot-and-cold Knights side and two teams below them on the ladder who don’t look they’ll be a threat.
They also play four games in Sydney and a relocated home game in Mackay, a venue where they beat the eventual premiers last season.
There is every chance the 2012 runners-up will come out of this period with six wins from six starts (I think they’ll come out with five, losing to the Eagles in Round 14), as well as the four points from their two byes.
The Bulldogs have the best run through Origin. The question is, are they good enough to take advantage of it?
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