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Reynolds field goal captures the elation and frustration of golden point

Belmore said goodbye to local product Josh Reynolds on Sunday. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Charles Knight)
Roar Guru
24th April, 2016
9

Sometimes rugby league is exciting, sometimes it is inspiring, and sometimes it is a real grind.

Saturday’s match between the Bulldogs and the Titans fell into the third category.

More than nearly any other day so far this year, Saturday felt like an autumn afternoon.

By four o’clock you could sense night approaching and the rain in Sydney’s west was intermittent but heavy.

For Dogs supporters, there was more than a shade of Round 5’s sudden drenching against the Raiders.

Every year ANZAC Round footy has a particular sombreness and seriousness and you could tell from the first couple of minutes that Canterbury-Bankstown and Gold Coast were going to keep it pretty close.

In the first half, the Dogs made it clear just how strong their back can be when everything syncs up.

Not only did Curtis Rona and Sam Perrett score two tries within ten minutes of each other but Will Hopoate put away a thumping four-pointer at the thirty-six minute mark.

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While Hoppa still hasn’t quite come into his own as a No.1, he has the ability to shine at make-or-break moments, especially just before or after the siren.

However, the first half belonged to Perrett, who put in a brilliant sequel to his opening two tries against the Warriors at Westpac last week.

While the reticent No.5 only managed one four-pointer at ANZ he compensated by rivalling Semi Radradra’s already-legendary offload to Michael Jennings in Round 3.

Catching a billowing curved pass from Josh Reynolds in one hand, he teetered before regaining his feet and planting it over the line.

While his game wasn’t always on point and he holds on to the Steeden for way too long, Kerrod Holland is also developing into more than a mere one-kick wonder.

With two well placed conversions at the 38th and 54th minutes, he’s got a good future ahead of him if he can learn to share the spotlight a little.

On the other side of the Steeden, it was a testament to Gold Coast that they managed to come back from 20-8 to 20-20, especially with Ashley Taylor still out for the count.

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Nevertheless, Cameron Cullen put in a pretty decent performance for only his second NRL match, playing a key role in setting up the first try of the game for Zeb Taia.

Following Josh Jackson’s elegant try in the 53rd minute and Greg Bird’s departure from the field after failing a concussion test, things started to look dire for the Titans.

It was impressive, then, that they managed to get back up to golden point.

Speaking of which, has there been a game this season that better captures both the highs and lows of golden point?

When the Warriors won over the Roosters at Central Coast Stadium, even Chooks supporters would have had to concede that it was a brilliant bit of football.

Similarly, when Cooper Cronk made good on his second attempt at field goal at Leichhardt Oval, even the staunchest Storm supporter would have had to concede that it was a bummer of match.

On Saturday afternoon, however, there was a mixture of elation and frustration.

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Most of that came down to Josh Reynolds.

If the Dogs have had an inconsistent season – they’re close to eight straight win-loss alterations – then Grub is their figurehead.

Like any impulsive, impetuous and emotive player, he’s capable of incredible bursts of inspiration and incredible bursts of foolishness.

Usually, that kind of impulsivity is most effective at the front of the pack. You can’t imagine Issac Luke working very well at no. 6.

As a result, an impulsive five-eighth needs a good half to contain and curb his enthusiasm.

While Trent Hodkinson’s level-headedness seemed to do the trick, it’s clear that Moses Mbye hasn’t quite got the seniority or experience to handle Reynolds in that way.

As a result, Grub’s game has been more erratic since Hodko left for the Knights, but also more brilliantly unconstrained at moments as well.

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It’s clear that he’s finding a new footy voice in the halves, but hasn’t quite solidified it yet.

Last night, that was clear in one of the greatest turnarounds in the season so far.

After gifting the ball to David Mead in the 63rd minute and setting up a chain of circumstances that would allow the Titans to level the score by the 72nd, Grub copped an epic blast from James Graham. Even on TV, you could feel the spit hitting you in the face.

In a season that’s already featured some pretty strong words from coaches and captains, Graham’s spray stood out as a highlight.

At times, you had to wonder whether Graham was consciously trying to upstage Reynolds’ own moment of madness with Michael Lichaa against the Warriors last weekend.

If Grub hadn’t gone on to kick a field goal in the 84th minute, it’s unlikely that an Instagram selfie would have fixed this one.

Like the Cowboys win last year, then, this golden point had a certain symmetry about it.

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Just as Johnathan Thurston’s field goal made up for one of the unluckiest conversion kicks in recent times, so Reynolds’ field goal made up for one of his biggest brainsnaps this year.

The difference was that JT had been playing well during the grand final and had one of his most consistent years on record at North Queensland in 2015.

Grub, however, has been one of the most inconsistent players in the Dogs’ stable.

While nobody doubted that JT deserved to win, and nobody could help but feel relieved in the short term for Reynolds, it’s questionable whether or not the Bulldogs really deserved to take it home with a two-pointer.

For the Titans, it must have been a particularly galling defeat, given how much they’d worked to level the score in the second half.

Reynolds’ choke – and redemption – goes to the heart of the debates about golden point.

What should be more important – a player’s ability to avoid gifting the Steeden to the opposite team or a player’s ability to make up for it with a field goal during golden point?

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As a Dogs fan, the last thing I want to do is to suggest that Reynolds’ two-pointer wasn’t ballsy or inspired.

Still, I came away thinking that perhaps we didn’t deserve this one. No matter how relieving it is at the time, golden point can do that to you.

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