Media personalities justify grub behaviour by calling the player "ultra competitive"
Don't change, Bulldogs urge Josh Reynolds despite another NRL ban
Canterbury teammates have urged Josh Reynolds not to tone down his aggressive style of play despite another extended stint on the sidelines. Reynolds has been suspended for three games after taking early guilty pleas for his grade-two tripping and grade-one dangerous contact charges during an ill-disciplined display against Brisbane.
The result is yet another ban just as a four-game losing streak threatens Canterbury's position in the top eight. However, Bulldogs players believe Reynolds' passion is one of his greatest attributes and fear he would not be the same player if he changed his aggressive mindset.
"I think he doesn't need to change," Josh Morris said.
"He's got our 100 per cent support and the boys love having him in the team. You know every game he plays he's going to give 100 per cent to the Bulldogs jersey and that's all you can ask for.
"Football is a funny thing, it's so fast these days, you can rush out of the line and just get put off balance that little bit. Something so simple can look so bad. It's unfortunate he got caught in that position on the weekend. In terms of him changing his game,
we don't want him to stop competing and stop being that aggressive player that he is."
Bulldogs officials had considered fighting the charges but opted not to risk further time off the field. Moses Mbye will start at pivot while Reynolds is unavailable until the round 26 clash with the Gold Coast. Aiden Tolman, who comes into the starting side at the expense of injured prop Sam Kasiano, said Reynolds must stick to the style of play which earned him representative honours.
"He's a competitor, he knows what he needs to do, and he's broken the rules and they've charged him," Tolman said.
:lol:
"He needs to stick by the way he's playing. He played Origin this year the way he plays his game, so I'm sure he wouldn't change too much."
Reynolds has been given the nickname "Grub" but teammates stressed his persona off the field was very different to that on it.
"Everyone knows off the field he's a champion bloke and would do anything for anybody," Tolman said.
"You can see the work he does in the community. He's not like that at all.
"On the field, he's competitive and sometimes that can be taken the wrong way. For me, he's the type of bloke I love playing alongside. I know he'll leave nothing in the tank when he comes off and that's why we love him here at the Dogs.
"I'm sure he'll continue to do that throughout his whole career. It is disappointing what's happened, but that's rugby league."
Fullback Sam Perrett added: "He's amazing for us, he's one of those guys who always puts his heart out there. He brings that real good energy that filters throughout the team and is always trying to turn momentum of games. Unfortunately, it backfired on the weekend but I'd have him on my side any day of the week."
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...er-nrl-ban-20140812-103amp.html#ixzz3APTnWoS2
Of course he's not going to change - every time he acts like a complete lunatic for an entire game, he'll only get a comparatively weak suspension.
