Dogs Of War
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Bulldogs the new Manly?
By Mike Gibson www.foxsports.com.au
September 24, 2003
IN a letter to the editor the other week, a reader inquired, "Since Manly didn't make the finals series and now the Broncos have been knocked out, who is there left to hate?"
Quick as a flash, the following day another reader shot back, "How about Canterbury?"
It got me to thinking. How unpopular are the Bulldogs? Is their "us and them" mentality truly warranted?
So I put it to a selection of blokes I know. Footy fans of a variety of persuasions.
"What do you think about the Bulldogs?" I asked.
Would you believe, almost to a man, they replied, "I don't like them".
Asked who they'd like to win the premiership, they either answered Penrith, the Roosters or the Warriors.
Not one plumped for Canterbury.
In several cases, so intense was their dislike for the boys from Belmore that I find myself forced to pose this question.
Have the Bulldogs become the new Manly?
Now, before I start getting hate mail with Lakemba postmarks, let me assure you I have nothing against the club.
Each year I get a badge from the Canterbury Leagues Club. Steve Mortimer is one of my best rugby league mates. My welcome at Belmore has never been less than cordial. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to know why is it that the Bulldogs have become so unpopular in recent years?
It all began, to my way of thinking, when a group of Canterbury fans started causing trouble at games, notably hassling rival supporters.
Such problems haven't been entirely unique to the Bulldogs. But they got the crook publicity. And it stuck.
Then, of course, there was the big whammy last year.
The headlines screamed, "Bulldogs cheats!"
The Canterbury players cried foul. So did their fans. It wasn't them. It was the officials.
Not that rugby league supporters en masse exhibited much sympathy for the Bulldogs' plight.
Asked whether the ruling body was too harsh by not only fining them but effectively throwing them out of the finals series, fans of other clubs overwhelmingly supported the NRL.
A significant number of those involved at the Canterbury club blamed the media for their salary cap nightmare.
Shoot the messenger. It's the oldest comeback in the book.
Willie Mason, terrific player though he is, did nothing to enhance the public perception of his team with the contemptuous attitude he displayed when he scored against Melbourne last Sunday.
From Gorden Tallis, you might have expected it. From Willie, it was not a good look.
Nor was the reaction of Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes at the press conference after the game, where despite answering questions, he left little doubt that few of his inquisitors were on his Christmas list.
So. Can the Bulldogs win their way back into the hearts of the league public?
This is still the same team that riled the fans last year.
Can the club shake their image of Canterbury versus the rest of the rugby league world? Do they want to? Do they care?
Maybe they do, although at this stage clearly they are using this "siege mentality" as a weapon to help them win the premiership.
In AFL, the club fans love to hate has traditionally been Collingwood.
In rugby league, it has been Manly.
But have the Bulldogs taken over? You tell me.
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Seems to me only the roosters and broncos come close to the hate we get.
By Mike Gibson www.foxsports.com.au
September 24, 2003
IN a letter to the editor the other week, a reader inquired, "Since Manly didn't make the finals series and now the Broncos have been knocked out, who is there left to hate?"
Quick as a flash, the following day another reader shot back, "How about Canterbury?"
It got me to thinking. How unpopular are the Bulldogs? Is their "us and them" mentality truly warranted?
So I put it to a selection of blokes I know. Footy fans of a variety of persuasions.
"What do you think about the Bulldogs?" I asked.
Would you believe, almost to a man, they replied, "I don't like them".
Asked who they'd like to win the premiership, they either answered Penrith, the Roosters or the Warriors.
Not one plumped for Canterbury.
In several cases, so intense was their dislike for the boys from Belmore that I find myself forced to pose this question.
Have the Bulldogs become the new Manly?
Now, before I start getting hate mail with Lakemba postmarks, let me assure you I have nothing against the club.
Each year I get a badge from the Canterbury Leagues Club. Steve Mortimer is one of my best rugby league mates. My welcome at Belmore has never been less than cordial. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to know why is it that the Bulldogs have become so unpopular in recent years?
It all began, to my way of thinking, when a group of Canterbury fans started causing trouble at games, notably hassling rival supporters.
Such problems haven't been entirely unique to the Bulldogs. But they got the crook publicity. And it stuck.
Then, of course, there was the big whammy last year.
The headlines screamed, "Bulldogs cheats!"
The Canterbury players cried foul. So did their fans. It wasn't them. It was the officials.
Not that rugby league supporters en masse exhibited much sympathy for the Bulldogs' plight.
Asked whether the ruling body was too harsh by not only fining them but effectively throwing them out of the finals series, fans of other clubs overwhelmingly supported the NRL.
A significant number of those involved at the Canterbury club blamed the media for their salary cap nightmare.
Shoot the messenger. It's the oldest comeback in the book.
Willie Mason, terrific player though he is, did nothing to enhance the public perception of his team with the contemptuous attitude he displayed when he scored against Melbourne last Sunday.
From Gorden Tallis, you might have expected it. From Willie, it was not a good look.
Nor was the reaction of Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes at the press conference after the game, where despite answering questions, he left little doubt that few of his inquisitors were on his Christmas list.
So. Can the Bulldogs win their way back into the hearts of the league public?
This is still the same team that riled the fans last year.
Can the club shake their image of Canterbury versus the rest of the rugby league world? Do they want to? Do they care?
Maybe they do, although at this stage clearly they are using this "siege mentality" as a weapon to help them win the premiership.
In AFL, the club fans love to hate has traditionally been Collingwood.
In rugby league, it has been Manly.
But have the Bulldogs taken over? You tell me.
--------------------------
Seems to me only the roosters and broncos come close to the hate we get.
or (b) if it comes down to Bulldogs vs X (substitute any other team for X) then I am going for X
