Trent Barrett can be forgiven for losing his cool as he faces the grim prospect of becoming Canterbury’s least successful coach in premiership history.
A loss to NRL heavyweights the Sydney Roosters on Saturday would leave Barrett with a galling four-from-32 winning record since taking charge last year.
That would match foundation coach Ed Courtney’s sorry 12.5 per cent strike rate from 1935 when the Bulldogs won only two of their 16 games. That team lost one match 91-6 to St George, which is still the worst defeat in premiership history, as well as another game 87-7 to Easts – the second-heaviest loss of all time.
But while Courtney’s side of almost a century ago didn’t even have a home ground, Barrett’s last-placed Bulldogs are a financial powerhouse with the backing of the cashed-up Belmore leagues club and now the brains of Phil Gould on board as general manager of football.
Little wonder that Barrett has been prone to a few dressing room sprays during his side’s depressing run of six straight losses since opening the season with a promising victory over North Queensland.
Prop Tevita Pangai said no one can blame the mild-mannered mentor for blowing up given the way the Dogs have performed so far in 2022.
“With those six losses there’s nothing to be proud about,” Pangai said on Tuesday. “Little defensive lapses and mental lapses, we need to get them out.
“Obviously we’ve lost six games … it takes a toll on everyone.
“But we control what we can and if we listen to what ‘Baz’ says for 80 minutes we can get a result.”
Canterbury led Brisbane 14-6 with 25 minutes remaining last Friday night before leaking five late tries in a demoralising collapse.
The team spent several minutes in a huddle after Tuesday’s training session and Pangai says it’s vital the players stick together during the tough times.
“There’s no excuses,” he said.
“We just have to look at our individual performances and get better as a team.”
English Test forward Luke Thompson agrees there can be no excuses, despite Canterbury enduring a rough run with injury, and says the Roosters present the Bulldogs with a great opportunity to bounce back at Accor Stadium.
“We love coming up against the good teams in the comp to test yourselves to see we’re you’re at,” Thompson said.
“That’s the good thing about rugby league – there’s always next week – so we get to go out there and fix it up and get the win.”
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kk
Roar Pro
Thanks Albo. I won't get excited until I see him in the Blue and White on game day.
Albo
Roar Rookie
You can have Kikau next year !
kk
Roar Pro
Albo, Inclined to agree. Faint tingles of excitement cross my beaten brow each round. I had marked 2023 as the season we trouble the opposition every week. We need a few more Panthers.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
You don't need to be Einstein to work it out with those sort of stats and every man and his dog knows it except Trent, Gus and the board .
Albo
Roar Rookie
kk, I don’t think the Dogs are too far off some good form. They had the Broncos covered at the 60 minute mark, before they fell into a hole and Reyno finished them off. They have a couple of players who can win them a game or two if used right – TPJ, Burton & Dufty. They show glimpses are not used to their best advantage as yet ? If the pack can muscle up , I reckon they might give the Chooks a game this week.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Maybe Barrett should head to the UK for some experience, the NRL might just be too tough for him.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
I really thought I would have seen improvement this year, but in buying all their new players they forgot about the spine.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Hasler has five of the six biggest losses in Manly's history to his name but it doesn't really prove much. Cleary and his long run without a title as coach apparently was proof of something but it wasn't. Barrett's record at the moment isn't too flash but does it prove much about the future?
kk
Roar Pro
Only what I read, Albo. At times I get that feeling that the current team are at the stage of wondering what they should do next as the game progresses. Are they in need of another navigator in the box?
KenW
Roar Rookie
No idea if he's a good coach or not but feel a bit sorry for Barrett. Manly yo-yo'ed up and down the table during his time there. Just like they did during Toovey before him and Hasler after him. But as a fledgling coach his reputation took a hit. Desperate to get back into 1st grade he took on a job that was very likely going to end badly. And that seems to be the way it's playing out.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
No one is talking about Kevvie, Madge or Barney Rubble (Anthony Griffin) anymore. Baz is well and truly in the crosshairs now. Let's see if he blames the Dogs substandard facilities to deflect blame like he did at Manly.
Nick
Roar Guru
By how a player performs when they change coaches. If they get better, tends to be the next coach that is a good coach.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Better record then I thought
Succhi
Roar Rookie
How do you know if someone is a “good coach” unless they win some games?
Cugel
Roar Rookie
Berries made the semis the following year (1936) and were premiers in 1938.
Nick
Roar Guru
But Gus reckons he's the best thing since sliced bread, so it's only getting worse. Fact is that Barrett is a poor head coach. Good assistant coach, a great one even. But a bad head coach.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Strewth , kk ! Do you remember Ed Courtney being that poor ? :silly: