😃 The good: Dogs of war return for Canterbury
😔 The bad: More bad luck for Dylan Edwards
😡 The ugly: Mitchell Moses display highlights Brad Arthur farce
Canterbury Bulldogs are getting their DNA back
It wasn’t that long ago that a minor calamity was enough for Canterbury to implode. All it took was an error, a poor refereeing decision or the loss of a key player for it to start to go to pieces.
The Dogs not only had to strengthen their roster, which they continue to do, but had to find the resilience and tenacity to push through adversity. It was coach Cameron Ciraldo’s biggest challenge when he arrived at Belmore.
He went about finding the right players with the right stuff to get down and dirty when the chips were down and not be unsettled by hardship. That’s why they were happy to drive Tevita Pangai Jr to the airport while bringing through the likes of Jacob Preston and Jacob Kiraz and surrounding them with hard-arsed footballers.
The Canterbury DNA is returning after missing for so long. The big win over Newcastle on Friday night was further evidence. Without Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton – on top of losing Josh Addo-Carr early in the second half – the Dogs silenced the big home crowd with one of the wins of the year.
The Knights went into the game with four-straight wins but did not land a blow. “They got hammered about their recruitment but it’s been a masterstroke,” Andrew Johns said of Canterbury. “They’ve got players who can play numerous positions and they’re tough and they compete. That’s (the secret) behind their success. Well done to the Dogs.”
Dylan Edwards’ State of Origin dream in tatters
Sport is a series of sliding door moments that can make or break a career. Dylan Edwards’ withdrawal from the NSW State of Origin side means his chance to play at that level is lost for now and potentially long term.
If James Tedesco grabs his own sliding door moment and excels in a Blues win on Wednesday night, there will be no way back for Edwards in Game II and possibly the series. Coach Michael Maguire has been at pains to point out he needed a developed print to separate Edwards and Tedesco in the first place. He won’t change a winning side.
With Teddy set to kick on for another couple of years at rep level, he could lock down that NSW No.1 jersey for some time and leave the luckless Edwards on the outer. The Panthers fullback is definitely Origin quality, but whether he gets a chance to prove it may not come around again. He won’t be thinking that way, of course, but the devastation of getting so close only to miss out will burn for some time.
Mitchell Moses return exposes farcical Brad Arthur sacking
Phil Gould asked what most of us were thinking as Parramatta dismantled competition leaders Cronulla on Thursday night. “I couldn’t work out why they pulled the trigger on Brad Arthur before Mitchell Moses got back,” Gus said.
“I said when he gets back, all this will change and they will be a different team. It was always going to get better. It begs the question – why didn’t they give Brad Arthur an opportunity to stay on as coach until Mitchell Moses comes back and judge him on that? They’ve rushed into that decision.”
They sure did. Moses had been missing since round three and inspirational skipper Clint Gutherson was out for a month. They are the club’s two best players and natural born leaders. Their absence left a massive hole.
What must Arthur have thought as he watched it all unfold against the Sharks? It was clear the Eels left their run too late for Wayne Bennett and there’s not exactly a long queue of quality coaches looking for work. It makes you wonder why they didn’t let BA at least see out the next month or so before deciding whether to pull the trigger.
Check back in every Monday throughout the NRL season for Adam Lucius’ ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ column.