It might be a different game, but the Hawks were equal last with Kangaroos a couple of weeks ago in the AFL but they have turned the corner and finishing the season strongly.

Both the Dogs and Hawks have trialled a bunch of young players this year and both are in a rebuild. The difference is, the Hawks youngsters are bringing enthusiasm and speed to the team while the older players keep cool under pressure and make the high percentage plays. Hawks can beat just about anyone on their day. There is hope for many of the youngsters.

The Dogs on the other hand, seem completely clueless. There is no leadership on the field. No sense of direction or flair or anything. There is simply no hope for next year with this current mob. Our hopes lie with all the new recruits. 

It's a real poor end to the year.
Really disappointing.

That is what happens when you stuff up the cap and backload players, sooner or later you are shopping in the reject bin.

I still think all of our young guys are improving, BBO, Averillo, Schoupp, Doorey, Patolo, Manu.
Normally guys that young start their NRL career coming in and out of a strong side.
In our case they have to come in an try to carry a team of more experienced plodders.

It is important to get the rest of the rescruitment right for 23. Most clubs can carry a few bad decisions in thier top 30. The bare minimum is 2t good players and 4 good young development players.

You are a failed bird watcher, or a cheap drunk.
1 case before 1 see flying Kangaroos, 2 for Dman, but he sees them often.

Why does the ref have to call Hold, Hold, Out on a scrum when prematurely calls out and the feeding team is trying to keep the ball in?

Why doesn't he just STFU and let the 2 teams decide when the ball is out and when the scrum can break.

There is a defending halfback who is standing there doing nothing. It should be him and the first defender off the scrum that can see when the ball clears the scrum and can ask his teammates to break from scrum.

That's my point.... we have too many poor "senior" or "experienced" players that are just not performing well enough. They've been the biggest disappointment. They are players we should have offloaded at their last contract or had them 1 year shorter.

Why do some teams have 1 sock white with some black bits and other sock black with some white bits? 

I've seen it with at least 8 teams this weekend?

Is it a vaccination thing?

Drugs are bad

Being 1942 vintage I've been through the highs and lows of being a berries/bulldogs supporter. I have never been as disappointed as I am now and find myself often only watching part games.
The same goes for rugby league as a whole. It's been bastardised to such an extent that it is unrecognisable as the game I grew up loving 

Yes. Refs are being told to coach players. They should just blow the whistle and call players numbers. Never names.

Everything is a vaccination thing... 

I have been a fan since 1973, we had had lows.

But this is the worst season at the end of a sequence of bad seasons.

2008 was just as bad probably becuase I was at every game.

In that case we won the comp in 2004, 2005-2006  were not bad and we bounced back well in 2009.

In this case we were competitive and entertaining in 2012, the club grafted fairly well 2013-2015.
2016-2020 was spent tumbling down the table, but generally the side defended well and had a dig.
2021 the defence is just as bad, perhaps worse than 2008, the team is equally clueless.
The 2008 squad was so bad I rated Corey Hughes and  Jarad Hickey as 2 of our best 3 players most weeks.

But in 2008 we won 5 games and often were competitive for the first 20 mins.

This 2021 team is unique in defending poorly and conceeding soft tries early.

It is odvious now the players confidence is totally shot  and  Baz doesn't seem to be able to make a difference.

As to why we are so bad... a lot of it sterms from defence, particularly defense in the forwards, but also on the edges....

Our spine is also very young and in experienced. They are playing behind a pack that loses the forwards battle.

2008 we had more long term dogs players who had been part of the win in 2004.

Jackson is the only player in the squad who came up through the grades and played in a reasonably successful side.
Hoppa has been here for a while, but is an import.
Elliott is a local and has been here a few seasons.
The rest are a mixture of young inexperienced kids and older players that haven't been here long, including many that were rejects or low priorities at their previous clubs.

The combination of a lack if size, quality, experience, combination and confidence is a perfect storm.

Napa is a textbook example of a bad signing.

Napa is definitely a poor signing but you have to remember, it was a knee jerk reaction to losing Klemmer who was one of our juniors, leaders and one of few rep players left (Reynolds, Mbye being the others).

Once again, if Napa was a 2 year signing (even if we paid more) it would have been better than 3 years coz we would have released him last year.

Sometimes it's better to pay players more per season for 2 years rather than try to "spread" it over 3 years. I know they might not all accept the shorter term, hence why you have to pay more per season and make it attractive.

I really hope we can inject some intelligence and on field leadership into this team.

At the moment, they make a silly mistake and follow it up with another. They get taunted by someone... they fall for the bait and do something stupid. We lie and hold down players to slow the play when we have our defensive line set and we give away unnecessary 6 agains. Its beyond stupidity. 

Our previous wooden spoon teams werent this stupid. They just pushed passes or had defensive lapses. This mob is dumb fekk

It’s the so called senior players that are making the simplest & most comedic errors…. Which 99% of the time leads to the opposition scoring a TRY. Heads go down… then another opposition TRY would follow straight after.  

I just hope Gus and TBaz realise what I have been saying the last month or so and that is we just HAVE to keep Lewis for at least 1 more year and BBO MUST play hooker.

I will only change my opinion if we sign either Pearce or Cheese.

Our players are clearly not vaccinated...

Are u talking about your SuperCoach season???..,

Why does the Ref not call hold when the attacker has 3 players on him and is still trying to march forward?
Is it an attempt draw a penalty? or a very, very late offload. Reverse wrestle? March off the mark. ( no penalty for that these days.!!!) Latrell.
Should be called held, play the ball like in the rules.
FFS a tiny knock on by the player playing the ball is called a lost ball but a walk off the mark taking the markers out of play is sorry mate you have broken the rules have another go. 

I think some refs are coming through in wrestle days and not adjudicating the rules or have the rules been rewritten?

Lewis is not and never will be a playmaker.
Burton needs a good half with him and he will be a superstar.
Just like Terry Lamb, he was so great because he had a very good to great 7 with him all (mostly) the time.

Villi's supercoach season always ends in round 1,

6 years behind you but have been through it all like you.
I feel that in the 60's with guys like Ray Gartner, Bill Petley, Freddie Anderson etc. when the team was down the bottom they were watchable.
70's, 80's and 90's more so.
Never seen a worse Bulldogs team than this. Tries scored are mainly flukey, not teamwork.
The game has changed so much that I record a lot of games and use the fast forward button.
The bunker is/was a good idea but has F**^d the game to a certain extent as the Refs rely on it.
The milking of high shots surely has to stop and leave it to the review panel, especially the crusher.
Players backing into the defence , hold their neck, whammo, penalty for nothing. 

The most likely combinations next season are Burton/Averillo or Burton/BBO. 

Our budget for 22 halback must be close to zero unless Flano or Wakeham leaves.
I can see Wakeham attracting offers at many clubs...

A likely possiblility is Wakeham going and a player like Ash Taylor signing for Wakeham money.
I'm fully aware of Taylor's career to date and that is why many clubs will prefer Wakeham to Taylor.
inspite of his limitations Taylor is more experienced and a better fit for us.

I can't see Pearce coming for Wakeham's money and I will be surprised if Flanno goes.
Outside of Taylor there are perhaps better options, but not many.

If we don't further strengthen the pack no halves will be able to do anything.
Maybe for 23 we can afford a quality half.

I have no idea what Gus and Baz are thinking, they may want and experienced half asap and are prepared to compromise elsewhere.

There he is… like T Baz, I’ve used close to 400 players this season 

I was a part of the BAZ cheer squad.
I am nearly ready to admit that he was the wrong man for the job.
Just about every player has gone backward. Elliot is a prime example. Bet he wishes he took the offers.
The halves have been a debacle. Avo is not a 7, yet when we get a chance to see what BBO ( halfback) can do he is shunted and hardly gets the ball.
It is killing Averillo (a potentially great running 5/8)
After 21 rounds we just push up one out, slow backline plays, no players running into gaps etc.
Using Jacko as a 1st or 2nd receiver, you are kidding.
I give up.  

As soon as a player backs into the defence call held and treat it as a surrender tackle

Don’t start me on Mr $600k…. Elliott has offered nothing to this team all season!

He scares no opposition team on the edges, can not break the line or offer any sort of 2nd phase play thru strong charges!

T Baz got this one massively WRONG persuading Idiot Elliot to stay….

Yes, it is disappointing I haven't 100% given up on Baz, but he hasn't had a great season.
Next season Baz has more talent to work with.
If we want to win a game this season, BBO has to stay at halfback and get the ball 5th tackle at the opponents end a lot more often.
Topine needs to play instead of Katoa and Jacko needs to dummy and run more often. 
The team needs to play with energy for 80 mins and cut the silly mistakes.
The energy was good against the Storm and one or 2 of the other top sides.
The win against the Dragons was the only other time we turned up.
Why we can't get a good starting 20 mins each week is beyond me, usually that is the easy part.

I agree.

That last one (backing into the defence) is my biggest pet hate and is really impacting on my interest in the game....

If you back into the defence and cop a crusher... bad luck. Hope you learnt your lesson and you dont back into tackles again.