A three-step plan for Aaron Woods to endear himself to Bulldogs fans

Well. The deal is done. Personally, I’m not happy.

Aaron Woods has gone to the Dogs and my concerns over his effectiveness had better not prove valid.

I hope I am so wrong about Woods. I hope he isn’t the ‘flopper’ that I have labelled him as.

It would be humbling, in light of the article I wrote about Woods a few months back entitled, Aaron Woods to the Bulldogs? Hand in your memberships!, if he was able to show me and the supporters, that he is capable of ‘hit and stick’ defence in the middle third.

I would definitely eat some humble pie if he could prove that his sloppy marker play around the ruck is just me nit-picking and that he is in fact a leader of men, despite his role in the Wests Tigers ‘overrated four’ debacle still being a little unclear and questionable.

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ problems over the last two seasons have not stemmed from a lack of big men, rather, their origins lie in a limited and restrictive game plan, choreographed by halves not up to the task of creating and executing polished scoring opportunities in the red zone.

With James Graham, Aiden Tolman, Sam Kasiano and David Klemmer up front, why the Club would pursue Woods is staggering. Unless of course, Graham has already signed with the Knights and another is following suit, as the rumour mill throws up every now and again.

(Photo: @NRLPhotos)

Matt Frawley has landed in Des Hasler’s lap this year and masked some of the issues that have plagued the Bulldogs. The first half performances with Michael Lichaa at hooker and Moses Mbye at seven are still awful and it is only when Frawley is introduced and the structure altered, that attacking options are created.

The kicking game improves and the straightening of the attack is noticeable. This will develop further over the coming weeks and into 2018. Whether Frawley is the magic elixir is still questionable, yet from a potential point of view, things look promising for the Dogs.

As it stands, Aaron Woods will be arriving at the end of the year complete with, potentially, another year of Origin under his belt, solid friendships already established within the Club and the backing of the administration, who have paid handsomely for the big man.

Despite the impressive resume, trusting teammates and the clubs faith in his talent, Woods will face an even more difficult task upon arrival.

Winning over a somewhat sceptical fan-base, who like their Bulldogs to fit a certain mould, could be the most difficult challenge he faces.

To do this effectively, Woods could do worse than take the advice that follows.

Step one, get a haircut. The Bulldogs fans won’t go for the clownish locks sported by Woods. The pantomime character that he currently presents himself as, won’t sit well with fans used to a more no-nonsense approach to the art of forward play.

Bulldogs hard men don’t pat referees on the head like Balmain great Steve Roach, they aren’t comical oddities like George Rose, nor do they show dextrous hands and ball playing ability.
The big men at Belmore grind. It’s all they do.

Whether it be Peter Kelly, Mitch Newton, Darren Britt, David Gillespie, Paul Dunn, Dean Pay or the current crop of front-rowers, the Bulldogs have historically built packs around a rather predictable yet effective style.

Fielding ‘goof-ball’ type players has not being their modus operandi.

Geoff Robinson, on the surface, looks to be an exception. However, despite a flowing mane of hair, he actually played the game as hard and tough as any of the names mentioned above and hated notoriety. He was as far removed from being a personality player as there has ever been in the game.

Willie Mason stands as something out of the norm for the Dogs and despite playing in the successful premiership-winning team of 2004, was potentially more of a distraction and liability than an asset.

Step two. Forget the extravagant offloads and do the dirty work.

If there is one foolproof way to win over the Belmore faithful, it would be to adopt the attributes of the favourite sons of the Club who played the game hard, tough and uncompromisingly.

Machine-like legends such as Steve Folkes, Bruce McGuire, Simon Gillies, Jason Hetherington, Chris Mortimer and the greatest of all examples, Terry Lamb, encapsulate a game style that the Bulldogs developed after their entertaining 1980 premiership success.

By 1984, under the tutelage of Warren Ryan, the gang tackling style of the Bulldogs was as plain as the nose on your face. Building a squad perfectly designed for the purpose, Ryan took the Club to three grand finals in a row and the origins of the ‘Dogs of War’ and ‘Siege Mentality’ labels often used about the club, were born.

The Dogs have resisted the temptation to sign fashionable big men who appear blessed with unfulfilled talent, preferring the reliable, committed and stable. The disastrous Tony Williams experiment is testament to what goes wrong at the Bulldogs when the club’s roots are forgotten and they venture into the world of extravagance and quick fixes.

(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Grant Trouville)

If Aaron Woods comes out in Round 1, 2018 and shows the Bulldog faithful that he has shelved some of the more risky offloads into his holster and is prepared to grind out wins in a more unfashionable way, then a few eyebrows might be raised.

I’ll admit I was wrong and he might start to look good in blue and white.

Perhaps the rather eccentric and laisse-faire play style of the Wests Tigers over the last five years has done him a disservice.

Perhaps with Des at the helm, reigning him in, Woods will just smash the ball forward in attack, clock up a steady thirty five tackles a game and allow the new halves combination to play some football and see the ‘Dogs finally looking threatening in attack.

I hope so. I don’t think so, but I hope so.

Step three. Lead with integrity, honesty and loyalty. Much is made of Woods’ current and future leadership skills and quite frankly, the fiasco at the Tigers didn’t make either side of the negotiating table look good. To be blunt, there were moments where he came across as being something less than completely transparent.

As a result Woods’ leadership came into question. Certainly in my mind.

The heart and soul of the Bulldogs is a loyal one. Even when players move on, it is more often than not, a process devoid of bitterness and acrimony.

Michael Ennis’ move to the Sharks is one such example, as were the Club’s decisions to release Ben Barba and Ben Hannant for personal reasons despite still being under contract.

Being a successful Club over a long period of time sees the inevitable movement of players, as they effectively play themselves out of the team. Their quality play and value on the open market makes it impossible to fit them all within the cap.

Josh Reynolds recent move to the Tigers is a prime example yet, as is the Bulldog way, it won’t be nasty, and he will be given a fitting tribute by both the club and fans.

Woods needs to portray the same kind of loyalty and integrity which, admittedly, was difficult for him to display in the midst of the Titanic Tigers over the last few months.

The fury and rage directed towards Sonny Bill Williams after his walkout to French Rugby enunciates the value that the Bulldog fans place on respect for the club and simple decency.

If Woods can show some of the same qualities, play like a grinding Bulldog forward and get a bloody haircut, he might just be on his way to winning over the Bulldog Army.