Rd 17 vs dogs

[Fangs]

Hopefully notes have been taken by Ivan on the dangers of the dogs attack.

Should be a great game.

They're a funny team.

They tend to score tries all over the place. Just relentless effort. Sexton has done a reasonable job in the red zone. If the defence is backpedaling he runs the ball. Even if its telegraphed its effective. The Galvin situation has potential to improve things but right now I see it as a negative for them. His best football for the Dogs won't come until later this year.

One area they can match us is on kick returns. Currently 1st in the comp of average kick return metres. We need a good kicking game regardless of whether Cleary plays or not. Get up to the halfway line, put up a bomb and meet them with a solid kick chase.

They have a chargedown in them too. Mahoney and Kikau love to pressure the opposition kickers.

 

[Fangs]

We want Nathan kicking as little as possible especially long

Long kicking and bombs will 100% be a part of the game plan. We have to curb the yardage that the Dogs make on their kick returns.

If he is under a cloud and can't kick we are better off playing Schneider or Toelau tbh. I'm expecting a boring and simple gameplan.

 

[Iamback]

We've had some pretty dogshit performances as a team since he was benched, and even his harshest critic (@Chins) is on the record in those matches saying how good Tago played.

Yes, a rising tide lifts all ships - but individually Tago before/after his benching is night and day.


Also, yes. Cleary's defence has also improved before and after 87% - 95%, but Liam Martin's defence has decreased 88% - 84%. And Schneider is also at around 87% when playing full games.

Last year Tago missed tackles for fun. It didn't matter who was next to him. It didn't matter which side of the field he was on. The only constant was his shirt grabbing.

Since his benching, he's the opposite.

I don't really give a f**k if the benching was the true catalyst - I just want him playing great footy.

Even looking at last week Garner missed 4 tackles. Tago the same

But there was no rushing out of the line and he was having the hard carries off the line.

Maybe it comes from the confidence with Blaze and McLean making tackles but the side is more settled and as result.

The fact he was close to Origin a couple of years back shows it was mental and the kick up the ass often works in these cases

 

[Iamback]

They're a funny team.

They tend to score tries all over the place. Just relentless effort. Sexton has done a reasonable job in the red zone. If the defence is backpedaling he runs the ball. Even if its telegraphed its effective. The Galvin situation has potential to improve things but right now I see it as a negative for them. His best football for the Dogs won't come until later this year.

One area they can match us is on kick returns. Currently 1st in the comp of average kick return metres. We need a good kicking game regardless of whether Cleary plays or not. Get up to the halfway line, put up a bomb and meet them with a solid kick chase.

They have a chargedown in them too. Mahoney and Kikau love to pressure the opposition kickers.

The Galvin signing is typical of Gus. They were 1st and Gus had to tinker, the signing was an off season one if at all, he is over rated but stuffs their team up now

 

[Fangs]

The Galvin signing is typical of Gus. They were 1st and Gus had to tinker, the signing was an off season one if at all, he is over rated but stuffs their team up now

Good to see you back.

If it pays off later they'll be cheering. But signing him mid-season could prove to be disastrous. It was a much better 2026 decision than it is for 2025.

 

[Iamback]

Good to see you back.

If it pays off later they'll be cheering. But signing him mid-season could prove to be disastrous. It was a much better 2026 decision than it is for 2025.

Time will tell but if you are doing say an u21 draft for the new teams.

Katoa
Strange
Blaize ( flexibility)

Would be taken over him, so we aren't talking a proven player

 

[globalpanther]

Kiraz rumours out let’s hope true haha

 

[Chins]

Kiraz rumours out let’s hope true haha

Nah I'd rather embarrass him and the Dogs fans who think he's on To'o's level

 

[Fangs]

Time will tell but if you are doing say an u21 draft for the new teams.

Katoa
Strange
Blaize ( flexibility)

Would be taken over him, so we aren't talking a proven player

Not proven at all. Paid on potential.

I think he will kick on. I just find the timing of the signing absolutely daft. The Moylan situation end of 2017 seemed untenable so starting the trade with Maloney seemed fine at the time. Then you fast forward 12 months and we are sacking our coach a few weeks out from the finals.

Gus' admission at the time was that we were never winning a comp in 2018 with Hook anyway. Do we have a parallel with Galvin here? That the current Bulldogs spine isn't good enough to win a comp? Sends a shit message to the guys who had their team on top of the ladder.

 

[Fangs]

Kiraz rumours out let’s hope true haha

Tracey is their number one metre eater. Kiraz ain't too far behind. Would be a nice out for us.

Nah I'd rather embarrass him and the Dogs fans who think he's on To'o's level

Its a statement game for us. Will be made a bit easier if they have Kiraz out which I have no problem with.

Let them go full strength and 110% later this year at Accor. They can have that game. We all know what will happen next if we meet in the finals. That is when we go whole hog on Kiraz.

 

[Chins]

Tracey is their number one metre eater. Kiraz ain't too far behind. Would be a nice out for us.



Its a statement game for us. Will be made a bit easier if they have Kiraz out which I have no problem with.

Let them go full strength and 110% later this year at Accor. They can have that game. We all know what will happen next if we meet in the finals. That is when we go whole hog on Kiraz.

Don't lose your smug now old mate!

 

[age.s]

As always, I don't care how we win or who we win against. I just want 2 points.

 

[Fangs]

Don't lose your smug now old mate!

Never.

We've just got to pace ourselves. I don't want us to play too well. Just put in a really good performance. Maybe a slightly better one than we put in against the Broncos.

 

[BossleyPanther]

Jenkins is going well but Alamoti is the better player

Brooooo!!! Gotta love the Milky Bar Kid.

 

[Sime_11]

its a big game - we'll be up for this one

we can lose both games against the Dogs - we'll just beat them in September when it matters most (poor Melbourne )

 

[Fangs]

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/he-got-through-that-sweet-nathan-cleary-set-to-take-on-bulldogs-in-heavyweight-clash/news-story/d98349ed273480c8d1dbe0e82978293e

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is confident Nathan Cleary will be fine to face the Bulldogs on Thursday night after battling through last week’s State of Origin clash in Perth with a groin complaint that limited his involvement in the first half.

“Since Origin, he’s just been progressing through his rehab, and that’s been going well. We’ll know more today, but he’s progressed through that really nicely,” Ivan Cleary said.

“I knew what was going on (when it happened). It’s far from ideal when you get injured the day before the game, but he was confident that he could play.

“He was a little bit compromised, but by the second half he was playing – apart from the goalkicking – and doing everything else OK.”

“We definitely pay a lot of attention to load management,” his father said.

The superstar halfback arrived at Penrith training on Tuesday in good spirits and didn’t appear to be in any pain after he and his Blues teammates sat out the club’s gritty win in Auckland on Saturday.

 

[Aliceinwonderland]

Brooooo!!! Gotta love the Milky Bar Kid.

Like you Bossley I adore the Milky Bar Kid. Love the story about how he came back too.

 

[Chins]

Garner still on the bench even with Sorro out, f**k you Ivan!

Panthers 13+

 

[BossleyPanther]

Like you Bossley I adore the Milky Bar Kid. Love the story about how he came back too.

For sure, he had 2 Infront of him 3 years ago and we need a guy like him, Tall and strength

 

[The Realist]

Nah I'd rather embarrass him and the Dogs fans who think he's on To'o's level

He is an absolute gun and has the potential to surpass To'o. But he isn't quite there yet.