Bulldogs Name ‘Team of the Decade’

[Bulldog Force]

Source: http://www.bulldogs.com.au/news/2015/08/01/bulldogs_name_team_o.html

Bulldogs Name ‘Team of the Decade

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have tonight celebrated their 80th Anniversary at a Gala Dinner held at Le Montage, Lilyfield.

To celebrate the occasion, a Team of the Decade has been named, with the best starting 13 and four reserves named that played between 2005-2014. This team, named this evening, follows on with the tradition after a 50th Anniversary and 70th Anniversary teams were named.

The past decade has included two Grand Final appearances and four other appearances in the finals which shows how strong and high quality the calibre of players have been over the past 10 years.

A selection panel that included Gary Lester, Barry Nelson OAM, Ian Heads OAM, David Middleton and Phil Gould came together to choose the best 17 players of the past decade. A strict criteria was put in place, that included:



- Players must have played first grade between 2005 – 2014
- Have played 50 or more first grade games for the Bulldogs - Not necessarily all in the years 2005 – 2014
- Only players are eligible – not administrators
- Players must embody the spirit and values of the Bulldogs

At the end of discussions, the final 17 were chosen and endorsed by the Board with seven current players and 10 former players chosen in the side.

The selected side is as follows:

1. Luke Patten
2. Hazem El Masri
3. Josh Morris
4. Willie Tonga
5. Matt Utai
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. James Graham
9. Michael Ennis
10. Roy Asotasi
11. Sonny Bill Williams
12. Andrew Ryan
13. Greg Eastwood

14. Aiden Tolman
15. Mark O’Meley
16. Willie Mason
17. Frank Pritchard

 

[Bulldog Force]

I don't know about you guys, but I for one am disgusted. Can someone please explain to me how the dickhead who done the midnight run to France "embody's the spirit and values of the Bulldogs"?

- He walks out on the club, not even completing 1 year of a 5 year deal
- He trash talks the coach and bags the administration out in the process
- Was involved in multiple DUI charges while at the club
- He then returns to the NRL after the 5 year term expires, and signs with the Bulldogs biggest rivals

This is the spirit and values of the Bulldogs? Whoever voted for him, and whoever stated he is eligible, should go neck themselves. I am disgusted!

 

[lafai]

lol you're mad. Shifty in for Hokko if I had to nit pick

 

[Packy]

Nah it's rubbish. You ask a bunch of non Bulldog people to choose the best team and they pick that. You add "Players must embody the spirit and values of the Bulldogs" and get Bulldog people to pick it and it changes significantly.

They got this one wrong. There is f**king talk about SBW coming back to the Dogs and I for 1 say GGF.

 

[lafai]

He's apologized so many times it's time to move on it was 7 fcking years ago. If we win a comp because of signing him (hypothetically) would you 2 still be butthurt?

 

[Bulldog Force]

He's apologized so many times it's time to move on it was 7 fcking years ago. If we win a comp because of signing him (hypothetically) would you 2 still be butthurt?

Saying sorry doesn't change the fact that he spat in out face. Have you forgotten when he left the whole teams morale went down and we got the spoon? His actions DID NOT EMBODY THE SPIRIT AND VALUES OF THE BULLDOGS. That's not going to change.

Let me reiterate...

"Players must embody the spirit and values of the Bulldogs"

Will I still be butt-hurt if he returns and we win a Premiership? Let me put it this way, if that skid-mark signs with MY club, I will no longer be calling them my club!

As far as I'm concerned, he can choke on the droppings of a seagull flying over him, roll over, die, and be summonsed straight to the deepest, darkest, firey pits of hell. Does that give some level to the indication of butt hurt???

 

[Packy]

He's apologized so many times it's time to move on it was 7 fcking years ago. If we win a comp because of signing him (hypothetically) would you 2 still be butthurt?

That's fine. He should say sorry. He was a prat. An ignorant, selfish baby prat. None of this changes what he did and how he did it. None of this changes his legacy at the Bulldogs club.

He's not got an iota of loyalty in his body and that's fine. Just don't expect me to pick him in any "best of" teams that include the tagline of "Players must embody the spirit and values of the Bulldogs" cos for all his talent, he is an utter failure at that part.

 

[Packy]

I will still support the Dogs if he were to play here again but I don't have to like it.

 

[Bulldog Force]

I won't - and I will send Raelene a strongly-worded email expressing my disgust in her decision to approve such a signing. It won't surprise me in the least given she'a a kiwi.

Expect a massive drop in memberships for the year if we sign him... and I use the term "we" loosely.

 

[dogz08]

didn't you say the same thing when you thought the cheerleaders were going?

 

[Bulldog Force]

didn't you say the same thing when you thought the cheerleaders were going?

Changing the cheerleaders into marketing gimmicks is STILL shit I don't like... but this will be the worst, most insulting thing the club can do. I will NOT support the club if that load that should've been swallowed is there.

 

[MarkC]

Honestly it was a pretty ordinary decade ....

1995 - 2004 would be a much stronger team.

As much as I like Hodkinson .... Shifty Sherwin should have got the halfback gig ...

It would be more interesting to repeat the exercise for earlier decades...

I don't mind mending fences with SBW but it was too early to give him official recognition, I am not sure why we picked this particular decade.

I know it was the most recent, but as I say 1995-2004 , 1985-1994, or 1975-1984 would have been more interesting.

I probably would have done 1975-1984 and worked forward from there.
It includes our 1st premiership for some time in 1980.

 

[DiegoNT]

I don't think sbw should be their purely because their are blokes who played better football in that time. I remember sbw bulldogs career as being one punctuated by injury and off field drama. The year he finally managed to string together a run of consistent good games was the same year he dogged the club and contributed to them getting the spoon.
As an outsider looking in this would be my bulldogs team of 2005-2015
1. Patten
2. El Masri
3. Morris
4. Tonga
5. Utai
6. Reynolds
7. Sherwin (hodkinson and kimmorley were close)
8. Graham
9. Ennis
10. Tolman (so underrated)
11. Ryan
12. Mason
13. Eastwood

14. Barba (dally m, 2x top try scorer)
15. Pritchard
16. Asotasi
17. O'meley

 

[Timmah]

DiegoNT, did you watch us in 2006?

Sorry but Sonny along with most of the squad was absolutely outstanding.

 

[DiegoNT]

DiegoNT, did you watch us in 2006?

Sorry but Sonny along with most of the squad was absolutely outstanding.

I remember sbw at the bulldogs as a youngster with the potential to be the games next superstar, whether he fulfilled that with the bulldogs is debatable. From that era you had standouts like Mason , Ryan, O'meley, Asotasi etc (was a star studded pack). And you have to remember guys like Pritchard, Tolman , Graham and Eastwood have gotten the bulldogs into 2 grandfinals in that time.

 

[Johnnie Red]

On performance SBW walks into our team of the decade however in the Bulldogs spirit he is well behind Ryan Tandy.

I'm not a Benny Barba fan but how does our 2nd only Daly M winner not get a spot on the bench? The General was magnificent on and off the field and deserves his starting spot but we need to make room for Barba IMO.

 

[roostersrule2]

Barba should definitely be in your side.

Even pre-2012 he was awesome, that season he had though would have to be one of the best ever.

 

[dogz08]

yeah i must admit barba was pretty unlucky not to make it

 

[lafai]

I mean he was pretty shit under the high ball but got better after a while. I can understand him not starting but a bench spot would have been ok I guess I just wanted him to be good for more than 1 year.

 

[Bulldog Force]

Barba was good in 2011 as well - scored some brilliant tries. People don't remember it though because he won the Dally M in 2012 - and also setup that amazing try-of-the-year for Josh Morris.

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