Much was expected of the Bulldogs this season, perhaps too much, too soon.
With nine new faces in his squad, including a pair of Premiership winners and two who had represented their state and country, Trent Barrett looked to be building something special.
“They’ve definitely got the talent now,” former Bulldogs skipper James Graham said foxsports.com.au come back in february
“They’ve always been a hard-working team and even though they’ve lost the last couple of years, it hasn’t been for lack of effort.”
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That talent eventually found its way to Belmore, and after averaging a league-low 14.2 points per game in 2021, there was reason to believe it would slowly show on the court.
Instead, even with marquee signings Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr, the Bulldogs went backwards.
So far back that they became the first team since South Queensland in 1996 (86 points) not to score 100 points in their first 10 games.
A 16-6 defeat by Newcastle, which would end up being Barrett’s last game in charge, also saw Canterbury-Bankstown fail to score more than 16 points for the 10th consecutive time.
A dejected Barrett was at a loss for answers and admitted as much in his post-match press conference, telling reporters it was starting to “sound like a broken record”.
It didn’t go too well for Trent Barrett. Image: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied
No one expected the Bulldogs to become world beaters overnight, but some early improvements still needed to be made to justify the offseason spending.
So Barrett had to go. Now, in just a few months, the Bulldogs have become the league’s unlikely cheerleaders under the watch of interim coach Mick Potter.
“Football has to be watched whenever the Bulldogs are playing,” Cooper Cronk said Fox League following the Bulldogs’ 24-10 win over the Knights.
The numbers tell a fascinating story of how a simple change in training philosophy has led to an impressive resurgence that few people saw coming so soon.
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THE SIMPLE SOLUTION THAT LET THE DOGS OUT
When asked what the key to the Bulldogs’ turnaround was, Burton had a pretty straightforward answer: “Playing more footy.”
It’s a line echoed this week by teammates Jake Averillo and Kyle Flanagan, who both told reporters how Potter has released the “handcuffs” on offense.
“The shackles are off now and we’re excited about how we’re playing,” Flanagan said this week.
It is also noticeable. Flanagan admitted earlier this year there was a perception the Bulldogs were a “structured team” but that had more to do with “the way we were coached”.
Potter had a very different approach than Barrett, as Averillo explained.
“It’s given us all a lot of confidence,” Averillo said.
“He’s calm and tells us to play football, if we see something, do it. Don’t worry about the consequences and it’s really working for us. [It’s] just a change in mindset.
“I think we’re playing every play on its merits. I used to think we were trying to get to a point for a play, whereas now we’re playing with our eyes up and everybody’s pushing their foot.”
Jake Averillo has enjoyed his new role. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The numbers also support this claim. The Bulldogs still have a league-worst hitting percentage in the opposition’s red zone.
But despite that, they’ve fired up in every other attacking category, putting up almost 16 more points and it’s their way of scoring that’s changed.
Under Barrett, the Bulldogs scored two tries from their own half, ranking them 9th in the league. In the nine games since Potter took over, they have scored 11 and now sit second, only behind Melbourne.
That speaks to a newfound confidence to kick, which is only bolstered by the jump in sacks per game from 10.3 to 13.2 (second in the league).
Sprains are also down, from an average of 36 under Barrett to 27 with Potter at the helm, with the Bulldogs playing more unpredictable and “eyes up” football as Averillo put it.
These offloads are opening up more space for the likes of Josh Addo-Carr and Jacob Kiraz to work their magic on the wings.
Even Addo-Carr’s field kick for fellow winger Kiraz at the weekend was a testament to the confidence with which the Bulldogs are playing, no longer afraid to make a mistake.
Simply put, they play to win instead of playing not to lose.
BULLDOGS IN 2022 AT BARRETT (RANGE)
Points – 9.6 (16th)
Essays – 1.8 (16th)
Running meters – 1261 (15th)
Post Contact Meters – 413 (15th)
Line Jumps – 2.3 (16th)
Tackle Busts – 24.8 (15th)
Downloads – 10.3 (7th)
Completion Percentage: 73.5 (15th)
Opp tackled 20 – 28.4 (9th)
Red Zone Attempt Scoring Ratio: 21.8 (16th)
Trials over 51 meters – 2 (8th)
BULLDOGS IN 2022 UNDER POTTER (RANK)
Points – 25.3 (6th, up to 10 places)
Essays – 4.3 (7th, up nine places)
Run Meters – 1422 (11th, up four places)
Post Contact Meters: 457 (10th, up five places)
Linebreaks – 4.8 (10th, up six places)
Tackle Busts – 32.7 (8th, up seven spots)
Downloads: 13.2 (2nd, up five places)
Completion percentage: 80.2 (6th, up nine places)
Tackled Opp 20 – 26.8 (11th, two places below)
Red Zone Attempt Scoring Ratio: 13.4 (16th, tied)
Trials over 51 meters – 9 (1st)
The Bulldogs are on a roll. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
SOCKS PICTURE: FLANAGAN’S RISE AND BURTON’S LOCKOUT
Burton and Flanagan have been two of the big winners of this new approach under Potter and when you ask them about their interim manager, one word comes out every time. trust
“It just lets you play football, that’s the biggest thing,” Burton said after the Bulldogs’ 34-4 win over the Eels.
“Just trust you… it frees us up a bit.”
Flanagan, meanwhile, said Potter had helped simplify his game more and more and given him “confidence” to simply “go out and play football”.
It sounds simple, but when you give young creators the freedom to make mistakes and grow from them, they’re sure to improve. That’s what the Bulldogs are seeing with Burton and Flanagan.
Of course, Burton also naturally returned to clubland a more confident player after his time in the Origin arena. This is something Potter has taken into account.
“I think he’s really come around to running plays,” he said.
“Obviously being around the best players in the game you pick up on things and it just gives you confidence playing at this level, but coming back to the NRL it’s still hard to get wins.”
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Matt Burton is making his mark on the Bulldogs. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Bulldogs were too reliant on Burton at times in the early stages of the season, not getting the ball into Flanagan’s hands enough to keep the opposition guessing in defence.
Again, that has changed under Potter, with Burton moving from averaging 45 possessions per game to 42.3, while Flanagan has seen his touches rise from 35.8 to 51.2.
“I think he’s playing a little bit more outside,” Averillo said of Flanagan’s shift under Potter.
“This is because the coaches give him a little more confidence. Obviously there’s a bit better combinations in our spine now, we’ve had about five games or we’ve patched together now, which takes a bit of pressure off him.”
Kyle Flanagan has benefited from the Bulldogs’ change in focus. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Bulldogs’ focus must now be on getting Burton to sign a new deal, with the five-eighth having a player option in his favor for the 2024 season.
Burton will have plenty of interest across the league, although if the wins keep coming it will certainly make it easier to convince the 22-year-old to stay.
Last week, however, Burton said the uncertainty surrounding the club’s coaching situation would have no bearing on that decision.
“No, definitely not,” said the 22-year-old.
“We are united as a playing group. We want to stay tight. These other things will take care of themselves.”
THE BIGGEST REVENUE IMPROVEMENT AND AVERILLO EXPERIENCE
It’s not just the halves, though. Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King and fullback Averillo are also flourishing in the second half of the season.
Marshall-King is headed to the Dolphins, with Parramatta’s Reed Mahoney on his way to Belmore, so it would have been easy for the 26-year-old to check effectively.
Instead, Marshall-King has taken his game to another level under Potter, with former Bulldog Josh Reynolds describing him as one of the most underrated success stories at Belmore this year.
Jeremy Marshall-King has improved a lot. Image: Alix SweeneySource: News Corp Australia
“He’s picking his moments to run perfectly,” Reynolds said Sky Sports Radio Thursday.
While much of the focus is on Potter’s role in the Bulldogs’ turnaround, Marshall-King also wanted to give credit to offensive line coach Craig Sanderock for helping unlock his potential.
“I think I’ve had a lot more in me and stepped up over the last six weeks,” Marshall-King said. AAP last week.
“I think it’s a matter of trust and of supporting me a lot more. Everyone sees Mick Potter but our attacking coach Craig Sandercock doesn’t get enough credit for what he does.”
ATTACK STATISTICS IN 2022 AT BARRETT
Possession – 89.1
Line commitments – 1.6
Races – 5.3
meters – 54
Tackle Busts – 1.89
Test assists – 0
Line jumps -…