Bulldogs ready for Telstra battleground

[Timmah]

Dogs ready for battleground

By Dean Ritchie
September 10, 2007
THE Bulldogs are primed to finally unleash the game's most intimidating and fearsome forward pack in full - just in time to meet old foe Parramatta.
The Dogs and the Eels will resurrect one of the game's great rivalries in a blockbuster sudden-death showdown expected to draw more than 50,000 people to Telstra Stadium on Saturday.
With the return of Sonny Bill Williams to the Bulldogs side after suspension, the semi-final is shaping as a clash of "muscle versus magic" - with the Belmore club yesterday talking up the return of their powerful forward pack to full strength.
With the exciting Eels backline proving a handful in recent weeks, the clash looms as a tantalising throwback to the 1980s, when Canterbury and Parramatta fought out several epic premierships battles.
"It's been a while," Bulldogs forward Reni Maitua said about the pack's 'reunion'.
"But we are back together now.
"I'm excited to have Sonny Bill back. He's my right-hand man. It is all on the line for us.
"There will be no more excuses, otherwise we'll be looking to next year."
The Bulldogs arrived back in Sydney yesterday afternoon after a gripping 20-18 loss to North Queensland in Townsville over the weekend.
Williams will be back alongside Mark O'Meley, who returned from injury against the Cowboys, and Willie Mason, Maitua, Corey Hughes and Andrew Ryan - who all came through the game unscathed.
"It's a great bonus having our top squad available for such a big game," Ryan said.
"It is as good a time as any to start performing.
"If we don't, it's all over."
Parramatta coach Michael Hagan is well aware the Bulldogs will field their most potent forward pack for the sudden-death game.
"They have lost their past two games but they haven't had all their players together," Hagan said.
"Mark O'Meley is now back and Sonny Bill returns.
"If they are all together and they all fire, then it will be a tough night for us.
"They have quality in the forwards. I'm not sure we
fear them but we certainly respect them."
A huge crowd is expected at Homebush for the game between two of Sydney's oldest and fiercest rivals.
The other option of playing the game at the neutral Sydney Football Stadium was discounted, despite Telstra Stadium being the Bulldogs' home ground and the Eels earning a "home region" advantage.
"I think the game will be great for that part of Sydney," Ryan said.
"It should be a massive crowd and played between two teams who have had a lot of success.
"They have a lot of good young players so that makes it important we have a good kick-chase game."
Maitua claimed he already had nerves.
"It will be a huge clash - I've got butterflies just thinking about it," he said.
"We have played Parramatta twice this year and it's one each.
"Parramatta like to play a wide-running game. They probably went a bit too wide too early against the Warriors but in the second half they ground away."
Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten said his side was tired of being talked up in the media.
"We're over that. We've done all our talking," Patten said.
"We have to get to training and do all the hard work and let our football do the talking.
"They are always willing affairs against Parramatta.
"We were beaten by the Cowboys but we still took a lot out of the game."
The two teams played grand finals in 1984 and 1986, winning one each.





http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22390199-23214,00.html

 

[Timmah]

Dogs vow to bite back
Jamie Pandaram and Adrian Proszenko | September 10, 2007

She ain't singing yet, that fat lady. And Bulldogs players don't expect to hear her until they're holding the NRL premiership trophy aloft.

They have suffered heavy defeats to finals rivals Melbourne and Parramatta recently, and fell to their second loss in consecutive weeks to North Queensland on Saturday night, but Canterbury's big dogs took off their muzzles to talk up their chances yesterday.

Lock Reni Maitua said while Parramatta had won comfortably in round 21, the Eels would be slightly nervous about facing the club renowned for semi-final tenacity this Saturday at Telstra Stadium.

"[Parramatta] will be very wary of playing against us, even though they beat us the last time we played," Maitua said. "We're never going to give up. We've still got our eyes on the premiership, and we are a massive chance.

"We came off the field [at Townsville] with a lot of confidence that we can win next week. There is no point playing in the semis if you don't think you're a chance of winning the grand final."

Centre Willie Tonga brushed off the fact the Bulldogs have lost three games in a row, saying: "We've got the side to take it out, we've got one of the best forward packs going around. Although we haven't shown it, I don't think it's a worrying sign. I think when we need to, we can rise to the occasion. We haven't played our best footy yet. It's pretty much now or never."

But have the Dogs lost their September aura, having crashed out of the finals last year, and then starting with a loss this year?

"We have a little bit," Willie Mason said. "We can't keep that aura if we aren't winning. We are losing it a little bit. We're desperate to have another crack because we don't want to go out like that [20-18 loss to the Cowboys]. We can still give the competition a big shake."

It comes down to a knockout match against their arch-rivals - a duel with so much finals history, much of it bitter for Eels fans.

Parramatta have the form but their recent finals record suggests they are the sprinters of the premiership marathon, surging early only to lose power in their legs with the finishing line in sight.

But the Bulldogs, playing for their season, are under no illusions about the size of their challenge. And they would be well prepared, skipper Andrew Ryan said. "At this time of the year, you don't need anything to get motivated. You've got to be up, or else you get beaten."

Mason labelled North Queensland a genuine premiership threat, provided forward Carl Webb was fit.

They Cowboys snuck home courtesy of a two-try haul to Johnathan Thurston and a match-saving covering tackle from Matt Bowen on Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri in the dying minutes.

However, the win could come at a price after Webb was carried off with a calf tear in the 67th minute.

The extent of the damage won't be known until the Maroons prop has scans today, but there are fears his finals series is over.

Mason said the Cowboys posed a legitimate threat to Melbourne and Manly, but only if Webb were part of their finals campaign.

"They are a genuine threat, they're playing great," Mason said. "You only have to look at the class they've got in Thurston and Bowen.

"It's an open comp, and they keep on winning without Luke O'Donnell, an Australian and Origin back-rower, and Steve Southern.

"If Webb is out, he's been playing awesome. He's definitely one of their best players, and they'll sorely miss him."

The Cowboys will also be sweating on the availability of another Maroons forward, Jacob Lillyman.

Referee Paul Simpkins, who was heavily criticised for his performance by Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes, placed Lillyman on report for a swinging arm on Luke Patten in the 32nd minute.

However, Cowboys coach Graham Murray was focusing on the positive after his side scored its sixth straight win - equalling the club record - to earn another home semi-final, against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday.

He was glowing in his praise of Bowen. "He has to be in the mix [for the Australian fullback position], there's no doubt in my mind.

"The deeper we go into the semis, the better it is for him, but he can't play any better."

Bowen, the equal leading try scorer during the regular season with Melbourne rookie Israel Folau, has made just one Test and nine Origin appearances because of a perceived weakness under the high ball and in defence.

But Murray said that was not the case, pointing to the three try-saving tackles Bowen pulled off against the Bulldogs.

"There's not much as a fullback that he can't do - he sets up tries, he scores them and he saves them as well," Murray said.

"He's done that a couple of times for us this year."

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/new...1189276546886.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

 

[KiWi_BoI_15]

Hope Willie Tonga and Matt Utai are going to bring their hands Timmah!!

Should make for an awesome game, esp if Telstra is packed!!

This game and the Warriors vs Cowboys are perfectly matched games, one of these games will produce the game of the year IMO.

Go the Dogs, and Warriors.

 

[nqboy]

Mason labelled North Queensland a genuine premiership threat, provided forward Carl Webb was fit.

So that would make us a three man team at least, wouldn't it?

 

[KiWi_BoI_15]

4 - he forgot to mention Aaron Payne.

 

[bobmar28]

Anyone know if tickets are available yet?

 

[nqboy]

They'll be glad to get back home. They've had a hell of a time the last two weeks up here.

 

[eels_fan_01]

Ive heard every week that the Bulldogs love this time of year yet they have failed to delivery, can they this weekend? Hopefully not, i think they will play well but Eels will win.

 

[hindmarsh4pm]

Anyone know if tickets are available yet?

available to the public tomorrow

 

[gurl_child]

I'm not really sure if the bulldogs should be still in the running for the trophy. They lost two games in a row and get another chance because Souths lose. Its the way it is but I don't know whether it should have been the Bulldogs and not the Souths that deserve to have been knocked out of the comp'.

 

[[FKN-SIK]]

And the sh*t talking in the media begins....

Can't wait for Saturday night! Going to be a cracker with a great atmosphere

I'm not really sure if the bulldogs should be still in the running for the trophy. They lost two games in a row and get another chance because Souths lose. Its the way it is but I don't know whether it should have been the Bulldogs and not the Souths that deserve to have been knocked out of the comp'.

What? lol

How do souths deserve another chance over us if they finished below us on the ladder? :crazy:

 

[Eelectrica]

Looking forward to this one, but damn you Hasem
Would have preferred the Cowboys.

 

[gurl_child]

Yeah they are the 'better team' as opposed to the Souths this year. But they are lucky that the Souths lost, if not they would be out of the finals right? If they lose their next game...

 

[Kurt Angle]

We always here this verbal garbage spurting from the mouths of the Bundogs about their "fearsome forward pack" and "we're made for finals football".. it's a myth, up there with "Huge Dragons army".

You're going to have a media banging about this supposedly epic encounter, as if the Bundogs are capable of providing any competition.

The game is already over, and parra will advance on to next week to eliminate melbourne from the competition.

This is what we will see on saturday night....

 

[Dogaholic]

Dogs played well enough to win the game. Cam e up short.
Souths were making up the numbers.

 

[eels_fan_01]

Speaking of Hazem, does anyone find it ironic that hes had hes worst season for years and it ended up being the season he played origin.

Im not knocking him as a player, hes had a great career and been a very consisent player but to be honest this has been a bad year for him even though he hasnt played terribly.

 

[Eelectrica]

Yeah they are the 'better team' as opposed to the Souths this year. But they are lucky that the Souths lost, if not they would be out of the finals right? If they lose their next game...

That's true of all teams from this point on. Week 2 is when the finals really start.
Week 1 is all about jockeying for positions.

 

[The Colonel]

I'm not really sure if the bulldogs should be still in the running for the trophy. They lost two games in a row and get another chance because Souths lose. Its the way it is but I don't know whether it should have been the Bulldogs and not the Souths that deserve to have been knocked out of the comp'.

Dogs finished 6th, Bunnies 7th...... maybe the Bunnies should have won a couple more games in the middle of the season and finished higher and earned the opportunity of a reprieve if they lost. As it was Doggies came a damn sight closer to winning than the Bunnies did in the end......

 

[_Johnsy]

the dogs have had 27 weeks to have their best pack, but have waited until now, whatever. They are pretenders.

 

[Dogs Of War]

We always here this verbal garbage spurting from the mouths of the Bundogs about their "fearsome forward pack" and "we're made for finals football".. it's a myth, up there with "Huge Dragons army".

You're going to have a media banging about this supposedly epic encounter, as if the Bundogs are capable of providing any competition.

The game is already over, and parra will advance on to next week to eliminate melbourne from the competition.

This is what we will see on saturday night....

Normally I enjoy your work.

But today you are deluded, I think all that time arguing with Eli is starting to rub off on you.

Game already over? I'm sure you were sprouting the same nonsense in 98, about 60 minutes into the game, high fiving your mates.

Should be a great game, and can go either way (well until the last 10 minutes when the famous parra choke appears and the Dogs run away with it!)