Hasler insists he’s ‘ super pleased’

DES Hasler has hailed the defensive grit of Canterbury despite everyone at Belmore being under a mountain of pressure following a forgettable NRL season.

With your club at 7- 13 and set to miss the NRL finals for the first time in six years, “super pleased” is a curious way to summarise your team’s effort. However the Bulldogs coach is sticking solid behind his charges ahead of their clash with the Rabbitohs tonight.

“We haven’t executed as well as we could,” Hasler said when asked what had gone wrong this year. “I don’t think we’ve managed possession well. But that doesn’t undermine the effort that the players have been displaying.

“I’m super pleased with the effort that they’re working at, particularly in defence.”

The Bulldogs have conceded 377 points, the eighth- best defensive league.

However their attacking woes are there for all to see.

They are yet to score over 24 points in a game this season and according to Fox Sports Stat the last time they failed to do this was in 1978.

Souths will again field teen winger Campbell Graham after handing him his debut last week while Aaron Gray returned from an Achilles injury. record in the