Canterbury coach Trent Barrett has told his side to handle the big men in defence better after losing the territorial battle in the 32-10 loss to Parramatta.
Trent Barrett has implored Canterbury to better handle the big men in defence after they were clearly out-muscled in the loss to Parramatta.
The Bulldogs were belted in the territorial battle on Saturday night, forced to wait until the 54th minute to have a play-the-ball inside Parramatta’s 20-metre zone.
Just 34 per cent of the ball was played in the Eels’ half, as the Bulldogs fell behind 16-0 early and a brief second-half fightback ended in a 32-10 loss.
And while it’s clear Barrett’s men have taken steps forward from the side flogged for three straight weeks between rounds two and four, he admitted there was still a gulf in class between them and the best..
“That was pretty noticeable tonight. We’ve just got to keep working hard, that won’t change,” Barrett said.
“It was off the back of our defence. They rolled us down the field pretty easily.
“The difference in where we were bringing the ball off our line all half as to where we were turning the ball over for them was chalk and cheese.
“Ultimately, you get hurt on the back of that. But individuals didn’t tackle well enough.”
It’s no secret Barrett still has his work cut out turning the Bulldogs around.
Saturday’s loss marked the second straight year they have slumped to a 1-7 record, while they won just two of their opening eight games in 2018 and 2019.
While attack has been their biggest issue in recent years, they are still conceding more than 30 points per game this year to sit last on the ladder.
“Defence is an attitude,” Barrett said.
“Physically you look at the two teams (Canterbury and Parramatta) next to each other, we’re giving a fair bit away.
“They’re a big side, they are in the top two or three teams in the comp for a reason.
“We didn’t handle them.”
RLFan
Roar Rookie
I think Trent needs a reality check - I know we have three of our best forwards missing and yesterday the forwards performance was poor, but he needs to look at some of the defence from the backs as well. We also have the weakest halves pairing in the comp., yet her persists with Flanagan, whose decisions and kicking are poor. I think the fans are getting sick of him talking about next year and would like to show he has the skills as a coach to make this side better. Any improvement would be welcome.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Someone on a Bulldogs blog tried the “we’re too small…” line recently I’m not sure guys like Napa, Thompson, Atoni, Seumanufagai, Waddell, Ogden, etc can realistically complain about not being big enough. All pushing between 105-110kg I thought the new rules were supposed to encourage a move to lighter forwards
Paul
Roar Guru
Barrett's comments don't make a lot of sense. On the one hand he said "“Defence is an attitude,” Then he said "“Physically you look at the two teams (Canterbury and Parramatta) next to each other, we’re giving a fair bit away." You need the right attitude to defend well, but the best attitude in the world can only take you so far if you're consistently playing against physically bigger guys.