Bulldogs ready to flex their muscle

[The Engineers Room]

The reason is that the Bulldogs have the ability to win ugly and in a tight contest they are move likely to get the victory. People have translated this to say that in tight games, as finals usually are, they can win.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

I'm not questioning the Dogs premiership chances because I think they're a big shot this year and have no doubt they can win it. But the idea floated around by the media that the Dogs get a bigger lift out of finals than any other team is an exaggerration built on a couple of outstanding finals performances in 94/98 and especially 95 where they defeated Brisbane, Canberra and Manly against the odds in three straight weeks to win the thing.

 

[Ice777]

Timmah can you please answer my question. Why are the Dogs a finals team if their record isn't much greater if at all compared to many other teams? What makes them more of a finals team than any other besides that you kicked Melbourne out 2 years in a row? :sarcasm:

Eh?

 

[Timmah]

Read Natalie's Daddy's response. ;-)

 

[Timmah]

I'm not questioning the Dogs premiership chances because I think they're a big shot this year and have no doubt they can win it. But the idea floated around by the media that the Dogs get a bigger lift out of finals than any other team is an exaggerration built on a couple of outstanding finals performances in 94/98 and especially 95 where they defeated Brisbane, Canberra and Manly against the odds in three straight weeks to win the thing.

Exactly - and that ethos carries through to the current lineup - regardless of results the side does lift for the big games... something other sides, but not all sides, can do.

 

[salivor]

Exactly - and that ethos carries through to the current lineup - regardless of results the side does lift for the big games... something other sides, but not all sides, can do.

Well let's add Newcastle to the list with their 5 wins and 6 losses and Brisbane with their 9 wins and 11 losses. So so far our finals teams are: Brisbane, Bulldogs, St George-Illawara, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, and Parramatta. That puts the Bulldogs in an elite group of 7 out of 16 teams :lol:. Yeah I'm sold.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Exactly - and that ethos carries through to the current lineup - regardless of results the side does lift for the big games... something other sides, but not all sides, can do.

These other sides don't get talked up when September is a couple of weeks away and it's that sort of lazy journalism that becomes repetitive, annoys opposition fans and creates threads like this.

The Bulldogs reputation was built on them raising to a level other teams couldn't match no matter how hard they tried, something the current Bulldogs team has failed to do in recent years which is why people are tired of hearing it.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Well let's add Newcastle to the list with their 5 wins and 6 losses and Brisbane with their 9 wins and 11 losses. So so far our finals teams are: Brisbane, Bulldogs, St George-Illawara, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, and Parramatta. That puts the Bulldogs in an elite group of 7 out of 16 teams :lol:. Yeah I'm sold.

:lol: You could argue that Penrith is a september team. They might not get there often, but when they do the results speak for themselves. September specialists. It's just the other months beforehand that cause a bit of trouble.

 

[salivor]

:lol: You could argue that Penrith is a september team. They might not get there often, but when they do the results speak for themselves. September specialists. It's just the other months beforehand that cause a bit of trouble.

And what about the Tigers with their 4 wins from 4 finals matches? Also the Cowboys had a couple of good cracks at it, Canberra and Manly were good back in the day and Souths have 20 premierships under the belt. So in summary, the Titans and Sharks are the only 2 teams you don't have to worry about when September rolls around :lol:.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

And what about the Tigers with their 4 wins from 4 finals matches? Also the Cowboys had a couple of good cracks at it, Canberra and Manly were good back in the day and Souths have 20 premierships under the belt. So in summary, the Titans and Sharks are the only 2 teams you don't have to worry about when September rolls around :lol:.

And Michael Searle believes the Titans could win 2 premierships by 2011. Won't be long before they become a real september team.

 

[smeghead]

Woo. Tigers 100% winning record in finals. Wooo

:lol:

 

[The Fruit Pickers]

All one needs to do is look at the results in the first and second half of the season for the 'Dogs to see when they lift.

Let’s look at the results of the second half of the season (or past 9 games)…
Winning form may be good form but the form of some of the Bulldogs opponents when they played has not been overly inspiring…..
Rslt – team (pos) (opponents form - Bulldogs game in bold)
won - Manly (2nd) (form LWLL – Eagles worse form of the season)
won - Roosters (11th) (form LLL - Anderson still coach)
won - Cronulla (13th) (form LLLLLLL - during Cronulla’s 7 game losing run)
lost - Penrith (16th) (form LLLLLWLL – only game Penrith won in 8 weeks)
won - Gold Coast (10th) (form LLLLL – Titan’s poor form and some key injuries)
won - St George Illawarra (14th) (form LWLWL)
lost - Parramatta (5th) (form LWLL)
won - Canberra (12th) (Raider’s away form LLLWWLLLLLL - 2 wins, 9 losses, 136 for, 346 against)
won - Brisbane (9th) (form LWLLL)

They copped a few out of form sides during the last 9 weeks… many were wooden spoon contenders at difference stages, only 2 opponents in the current top 8…

 

[Smartman]

Im not with this the 'Bulldogs are finals specialists' thing.

They might have been in the mid to late 90's but our finals record has been poor at the turn of the century (2004 we had a great squad and should have won it).

I agree, it is a myth but this team is capable of winning it this year.

 

[Ice777]

I agree, the Dogs certainly do have the team to win the comp this year. But to say they're a finals team or they lift a notch come finals time is utter bullsh*t as the numbers would suggest over the last 10 years or so.

 

[Generalzod]

They must have flexed the wrong muscle tonite....

 

[Ron Jeremy]

lol

I reckon the Bulldogs can lift definately, however i've i reckon the dogs can be exploited pretty easily by the big sides.

Millard & roberts are a myth as well.

 

[mattyg]

good stuff shrek...this whole talking it up business has worked once before...against dragons last year...wish they'd shut up and focus on training and playing. Talk AFTER we've proven ourselves. Millard is a decent player imo...roberts had a shocker and im still not sold on him over Holdsworth...i was getting close but after tonight i'm rethinking...too many errors.

 

[Timmah]

Millard and Roberts are great but they need Sonny to be working between them, not on the other side of the field with Phelps.

Phelps will get dropped this week and Matt Utai who had a strong showing in PL (won by the Dogs 25-18 over Scumulla) will finally return. As will Mr Mason.

I'm happy for our boys NOT to talk it up - they do their best work when silent or gagged/under pressure.

Tonight's result IMO showed nothing of how well we defended for the first 50-odd minutes. It was then that Reni Maitua came off IIRC and it was all downhill from there.

A disappointing results but nowhere near the end of our season.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Millard and Roberts are great but they need Sonny to be working between them, not on the other side of the field with Phelps.

Phelps will get dropped this week and Matt Utai who had a strong showing in PL (won by the Dogs 25-18 over Scumulla) will finally return. As will Mr Mason.

I'm happy for our boys NOT to talk it up - they do their best work when silent or gagged/under pressure.

Tonight's result IMO showed nothing of how well we defended for the first 50-odd minutes. It was then that Reni Maitua came off IIRC and it was all downhill from there.

A disappointing results but nowhere near the end of our season.

A great point Timmah, have thought the same thing for a while. But do you really want players like that relying on the individual brillance of one to make them look great?

 

[Timmah]

I wouldn't say it makes them look great, I think it lifts them. Seeing as RL is a team effort Sonny's prescence lifting them is a great thing. A big lacking facet of our game is support play when a break is made and I think cost us four pointers a few times tonight.

Full credit to our first half defence as I said - it was second to none only letting one try through - but there's massive question marks over our attack and wingers. Phelps has gotta go :arrow: