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Can Professor Hasler figure out the Dogs?

Des may have secured his future, but is he the right man to lead the Dogs? (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Roar Rookie
5th June, 2017
15

After yesterday’s performance many Bulldogs fans are looking towards next year, after coming off a 38-0 thumping at the hands of Penrith.

The Bulldogs are on a four-game losing streak and yesterday proved they are not a team in finals contention. Missing 48 tackles, combined with a completion rate of 68 per cent any team in the NRL will be lucky to win a game.

Further, that lack of regard for ball security and defensive pressure was not compensated for in attack where they managed one line break all day.

This line break was by their shining light this season Brenko Lee who has managed nine try assists this season. If we want to put this into perspective Matt Frawley, Josh Reynolds and Moses Mybe have managed six all season combined.

Lee has 30 offloads this season (4th in the game) and eight linebreak assists (5th in the game). If you were the Bulldogs board and coaching staff you would start to look at his contract as he will be a player in demand when he is off contract next season.

Many pundits and commentators will say the Dogs were missing three key players: Josh Reynolds, James Graham and Brett Morris.

Reynolds is the blood and soul of the Bulldogs, however, even with him on the field yesterday combined with the go forward and passing game of James Graham and Brett Morris’ finishing ability it would have been close to the same score line.

Although these players have a great influence in the Bulldogs, yesterday’s performance stemmed from a lack of aggression.

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David Klemmer looked like he had an Origin hangover, coupled with Sam Kasiano – who is a shell of his former self – there was a lack of forward movement.

Further, yesterday’s performance placed further hype and pressure on Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods for 2018 to help the Dogs get over the line.

If we dissect both players first starting with Kieran Foran. Foran is not an organising half at Manly Hodkinson and Cherry-Evans organised the team while he just ran off them.

For example as seen at the Warriors Foran relies on Shaun Johnson to control the game and organise the team, this has not been happening thus Foran’s influence has been diminished, in contrast, his time at Parramatta Corey Norman directed the team around the park and this allowed Foran to play his true game.

As Des sees Mybe as the future half he will need to develop Moses into an organising half or Foran will not be able to play his true game.

Now onto Aaron Woods. A great man once said one too many chefs spoil the broth. The Dogs have a substantial top end prop investment in Woods, Graham, Klemmer, Kasiano and Aiden Tolman.

A couple of these players will have to leave in order to fit Woods in under the salary cap.

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There are already rumours circulating around a possible Klemmer exit and Newcastle is circling for Graham. If they keep all these forwards they will struggle to get the minutes out of these forwards in order to have the greatest impact.

Finally, the decision to extend Hasler’s contract was a rushed one. The Canterbury Board was meant to come to a decision at Round 10 instead they made a rushed call to sign him on for another two years.

They did not wait to see the facts or make Hasler perform for results. It is now on Hasler and his coaching legacy to perform with Woods and Foran coming to the club.

Foran is a Hasler product from his Manly days and has been wanting him to come to the Dogs for a while. He has now got his players, he has had enough time to put his systems in place.

He has taken the Dogs to two grand finals, however, failed to get over the hump. In 2018 and 2019 season his Hasler’s legacy is on the line.

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