Tale of two Dogs laid bare in rout
THE Bulldogs showed the best and worst of themselves in their 16-2 win over the Dragons yesterday.
In another week where their world seemed to be collapsing, the Dogs (pictured) dug deep into their reserves of resilience and came away with one of their most memorable wins of the season.
There is great pride in this Canterbury team. Their effort against a top four team could not be questioned.
After Penrith butchered them last week, such a response was to be expected. After all, we’ve seen this before. Manly smacked Canterbury 36-0 in Round 4 and they responded the next week with a stirring 10-7 win over Brisbane.
Any win should be treasured, especially given the way the Bulldogs have struggled in recent weeks.
But the cracks have only been papered over. There are still underlying and fundamental issues in the Bulldogs play.
Their win over the Dragons was a grind in every sense of the word. Neither team could generate much spark, so it degenerated into a contest of will.
And that’s exactly the type of game the Bulldogs can win. If the keys to victory are strength, power and resolve, Canterbury are dangerous.
But that type of football is not sustainable. For the seventh match in a row, the Bulldogs failed to crack 20 points.
The amount of field position, the amount of possession, the sheer number of chances they had, such windows will not be open each and every week.
Any team that thrives in such a position has a finite ceiling – we saw that for many years with the Cronulla Sharks.