I tell you what, at this point in this season I would prefer to support the Canterbury Bulldogs than the Newcastle Knights or Penrith Panthers.
One of these teams is coming out each week and giving it everything they have, while the other two are either exceptionally disappointing or playing like they have given up.
While the Knights and Panthers were tipped by many to make the eight, they have been frustrating for the initial six rounds (particularly the Knights, whose coach’s days are numbered after their performance against the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday).
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were widely tipped to finish with the wooden spoon.
Heading into this season, there was very little expectation around the Bulldogs and that’s fair, given what a horrific campaign they endured last year.
In 2018 the Bulldogs finished twelfth, with just eight wins.
But what was far more challenging for the squad and their new coach, Dean Pay, was the salary cap mess which engulfed the club that required them to shed a number of players heading into the 2018 and 2019 seasons like Josh Reynolds, James Graham, Aaron Woods and David Klemmer and meant that the club was heavily reliant on a group of young players largely untested at an NRL level like Jeremy Marshall-King, Lachlan Lewis, Chris Smith and Ofahiki Ogden.
While there was one big name signing heading into 2019, that being Dylan Napa, the remainder of the players signed by the club were smaller value acquisitions like Jack Cogger, Nick Meaney, Sauaso Sue, Corey Harawira-Naera and Christian Crichton.
(Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)
2019 was painted as a rebuilding year for the club – a challenging concept for Bulldogs fans who are exceptionally proud and used to seeing their club successful and playing finals football.
But, despite the Bulldogs sitting in sixteenth spot on the ladder on just one win, they are a team that isn’t too far away from being decent (or at least slightly more decent than what their position on the ladder would suggest).
There have certainly been some blow-outs for this young team; most notably in Round 1 against the New Zealand Warriors where they lost 40-6 and Round 4 against the St George Illawarra Dragons where they lost 40-4.
But what has impressed me about the Bulldogs so far this year is that they have come close to beating two of the teams thought to be premiership contenders; losing to the Melbourne Storm 18-16 and to the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Good Friday 14-6.
They have taken it to both these teams even with significant injury concerns including to two of their marquee players in Keiran Foran and Dylan Napa.
I particularly enjoyed Lachlan Lewis’ performance against the Bunnies – he seemed to have his own personal vendetta against Sam Burgess and targeted him for the entire evening, and was clearly getting under Burgess’ skin.
So is there any hope for the team sitting last on the ladder at the moment?
I say yes.
Current Chairperson at the club Lynne Anderson is a talented, clever woman who genuinely loves the club. Together with CEO Andrew Hill, Lynne and her team are committed to turning the Bulldogs back into the ‘family club’ that they once were.
Additionally, while it may have seemed bizarre to re-sign coach Dean Pay leading into Round 3 of this year after two successive losses, the team has played better following some certainty.
It hardly seems fair either that Pay not be given more time given that he was brought in to coach at the start of last year and has had very little opportunity to build the squad he wants, and has been significantly hampered by the salary cap problems that engulfed the club last year.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The thing with this squad is that they just seem to be ten per cent off the mark. They are missing two or three strike players and these players, in my view would make a significant difference.
The first of the missing players is an experienced half.
As mentioned, it’s no help that their experienced half Foran will be out for most of the season, injured. But even then I’m not sure he is the answer. Foran’s best years are behind him. He is exceptionally injury prone and it will be a long road back to being the player he was at the Manly Sea Eagles all those years ago.
While Lewis shows some promise, it will take a while for him and Jack Cogger to combine and both are young and inexperienced.
The Bulldogs are also missing one or two explosive backs, the type that can create something out of nothing.
So far this season, the Bulldogs have scored 70 points leaving them with the worst attack in the competition. The team seems to have little trouble getting up the field but cannot convert any field position into points.
But, my prediction is that the Bulldogs are not the team that will finish with the wooden spoon. They seem to be playing with far too much courage for that to be the case.
And while courage doesn’t always win games, I would certainly rather have courage than the lack of effort we are seeing from some of the other underperforming teams in the competition right now.
paulie
Guest
How is the bull dogs cap still such an issue, Reynolds has been gone for 2 years and mbye for 1 and a half, on top of letting Klemmer and the morris twins go. Apart from Foran there wouldn't be any one in that side that should be on more than 400k a season. They signed Aron Woods and Tedesco and then let Tedesco go in I suspect a side deal that ensured Nappa went there the following year. Ironically if they had kept all those players what a team they would have.
Reesy
Roar Rookie
I think it just comes down to injuries. Theyve shown more than enough to suggest they should avoid the spoon with their best side available. Really need Napa back quickly and hopefully they get a good run with a fit Foran mid to late season.
Griffo
Guest
I hope so, the Cowboys need another win!
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
Welcome back, long timeno see. P.S. You forgot the LOL...
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
I heard him blame "the hard draw". Is this where they expected to be? The Broncos won't accept this for much longer. Siebold will run out of excuses soon.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
re "bad teams".... Agreed. And the overall standard this season is the lowest in many years.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
There's nothing "mysterious" about the Dullbogs "family culture". It's in the dictionary as 'Nepotism'.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Because they seem a rabble.
Rellum
Roar Guru
What really dissapointed me was Siebold's press conference. He seemed happy as you say with the improvement in the young guys. Most of these young guys except a couple of bench forwards have been around for years now and got us into 5th spot last year. Now we are happy losing. This is Broncos and the NRL. No team should be rebuilding that poorly, especially the wealthy and well resourced Broncs. We can easily be 1-10 after the next four weeks.
Paul
Roar Guru
I'm trying to work out why there's a conversation about the wooden spoon happening after 6 weeks of football? Canterbury is just as likely to string a half dozen wins in a row as any other team in the comp, because as Gus Gould said, wining's infectious. If they do that, all of sudden they're being considered as outsiders for a finals spot. Ditto with the other Clubs outside the Storm, Roosters & Rabbitohs. Those further up the ladder could just as easily go on a losing streak - just ask the Dragons. This is a discussion best left till after the SOO series. Till then, hopefully the Doggies can translate some of that courage Mary likes into competition points.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
How long until the Broncos ask Wayne to come back I wonder? The Broncos have proven they have no problems approaching coaches still under contract only 7 rounds into the season so watch out all NRL clubs if the Broncos get desperate and Seibold's "dream job" that has become a nightmare is pulled from under him like a trap door at the gallows!
matth
Roar Guru
Well the Broncos are managing to lose in various way this year. Maybe they’ll take the crown. Their errors at critical times are preventing any chance of actually winning games. Siebold almost appears to be happy to get games into the teenage forwards this year, so this could be a bottom four season. The key for the coach here is whether and at what point he starts to rebuild the spine, either with astute buys after June (AJ Brimson might be looking for some first grade?), some positional changes to look to the future (e.g. Isaako to fullback), or putting some games into the next generation.
Scott
Guest
They are the worst team on paper, they are currently last and have the worst points differential of the bottom 8, their main play maker is injured and they have limited depth I'd be saying Sportsbet odds as them being favourites for the wooden spoon isn't far off. I however watched Newcastle yesterday and they lost to a Titans team without three of their best four forwards (James, Wallace and Proctor) and a half back who may as well not turned up
Superspud
Roar Rookie
I have taken the odds on the warriors and am not planning to cash out but I think the Dogs are favourites.
Peter Piper
Guest
..... and doing nothing with them. If they aren't delivering then they are just names.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
My view is the dogs are still the biggest danger for the spoon and their injuries to key players does not help. The Titans have had a couple of wins but that was against very poor opposition so they are also just behind the dogs still. Then followed by knights unless there is some drastic improvement in their attitude and execution.
Steve
Guest
There's some pretty bad teams in the NRL this year, I fear my Warriors might get it.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
The problem starts when you start accepting credit for "heroic losses" I remember speaking to a member of the Knights coaching staff from one of the wooden spoon years and he was saying they were getting beat by 12 points by a top team and people were slapping them on the back saying how good the effort was and the players should be proud. He said inevitably those kind of close losses to a top team was followed up by a poor effort the next week and a flogging on the scoreboard. The Dogs put in such an effort such as the Melbourne game and then followed it up with the rubbish they dished up against St George. Well they are there again after a close loss against Souths lets see what they put in next week.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
They don't have the points in them, and they don't threaten teams. The fact that they have the least number of errors in the competition isn't a positive, but just highlights the fact that they don't try anything, just play simple football. It is reflected on the scoreboard as defences aren't challenged. This can be put down to poor coaching and the creative players aren't up to it. It's not just the halves, they have the least number of dummy half runs. These player will not improve unless they are challenged, you learn be tring and failing, not being a robot It's easy to have an 80% completion rate when you just go one out and kick. It's even easier to defend against. They don't even attempt to challenge the defense - decoy runs LAST, tackle breaks LAST, linebreaks SECOND LAST This is the type of football they sacked Hasler for. At least he won games
Raider Simmo
Guest
Surely titans or bulldogs would have a worse team on paper. Knights got, klemmer, ponga, pearce, guerra just off top of my head.