If anything can be learnt from the opening round of the NRL season it is that the Canterbury Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs are back and here to stay.
Both clubs enjoyed dominant first outings, Canterbury trampling Manly 28-6 and Souths enjoying a 42-10 smashing of the old foe, Easts. While victory itself for these two sides wasn’t wholly unexpected, it was the manner in which they achieved them that shows both are in for a big year.
The Bulldogs were all over the Sea Eagles, who had high hopes themselves after a big recruitment drive, and their forwards led by James Graham simply bulldozed their way through a Manly defence that had no answer.
Indeed, the opening 20 minutes set the tone for the game, with the Dogs having a number of consecutive big drives, setting up two tries and bullying Manly out of the game. They ran over 1600 metres for the game, just under 300 more than Manly and also dominated the kicking department, with 585 metres gained compared to the Sea Eagles’ 381.
After an inconsistent 2015, could this be the year Canterbury finally fulfill their potential? A lot of the pre-season talk centred on how their pack would struggle with the reduced interchanges but Des Hasler seems to have trimmed them down enough to run out the match while retaining their devastating impact on opposition defences.
Souths, meanwhile, enjoyed a stirring thrashing of the Roosters on Sunday afternoon, a result that is sure to instil confidence in the minds of supporters after many tipped them to continue their slide down the ladder.
The Rabbitohs showed no signs of pre-season jitters as they manhandled the Chooks from the opening whistle, ending the first half at 26-0. It made absorbing viewing for Souths fans as they witnessed both Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis in devastating form.
Burgess racked up a game-high 165 metres while Inglis wasn’t far behind with 130 as well as a classic try, fending off multiple defenders on his way to the line. The match didn’t come without concerns though with playmaker Adam Reynolds suffering a suspected broken jaw as well as John Sutton exiting the match with a pectoral concern.
The positives, however, far outweigh the negatives with the 32-point mauling of their fierce rivals the perfect way to kick off their premiership challenge.
So what does this mean for the season ahead? Well, it’s still early days but both sides, consistently in the top eight for the last four years, look to be back to their best.
While the Rabbitohs are focused on returning to their 2014 form, the Bulldogs will be desperate to finally make the most of their potential, a potential that has seen them make two grand finals in the last four seasons.
Indeed we could well be treated to a grand final preview come Good Friday if both sides can reach the consistency that opposition teams know and fear.
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