NRL 2021: Canterbury chairman John Khoury says club is standing behind firebrand Jack Hetherington
The Bulldogs have vowed to stick by a ‘sorry’ Jack Hetherington despite the firebrand forward, with the NRL’s worst foul play record, earning yet another black mark against his name.
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An emotional Canterbury Bulldogs chairman John Khoury has vowed to stick by a “sorry” Jack Hetherington, declaring the firebrand forward with the NRL’s worst foul play record is “a great kid” who has a “bright future”.
It comes as Hetherington, 24, gets set for another long stint on the sidelines after becoming the first player this season to be sent off for his ugly high tackle on North Queensland’s Valentine Holmes.
Khoury also conceded it was “embarrassing” to learn that the TAB has now set a market listing the Bulldogs at $13 to go the entire season winless.
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The Bulldogs remain the only team without a win after six games.
But it is Hetherington’s shocking foul play record that has now added further insult to the team’s horrible start after copping a grade three careless high tackle charge that will sideline him for between five and six matches.
While the grade three charge carries a base penalty of 300 points, Hetherington’s poor record pushes up the ban dramatically.
Khoury said the club was yet to decide if it would contest for a downgrade, but it adds to an already shocking record that has seen Hetherington miss a total of 10 matches through suspension in a career that so far spans just 29 in total.
Incredibly, this is Hetherington’s seventh judiciary charge since debuting in 2018.
Yet Khoury was absolutely certain about where the club stands on Hetherington’s future.
“He is still a young kid with a bright future,” Khoury said.
“We just have to help him and coach him. It is good that he is aggressive.
“We need some aggressive forwards in the game, but it needs to be tapered and managed.”
Told no one was disputing whether Hetherington was “a good kid”, but the question more related to his horrible judiciary record, Khoury continued: “He is from a good family. He is a country kid.
“He is young and I know Trent is a good coach. And Trent will get the best out of him, within the rules obviously, not getting suspended.
“I am not saying what happened was good. Did he do it intentionally? Speaking to him he was really sorry.
“He didn’t (do it intentionally). And it is split second. Valentine Holmes is fast, steps … I don’t want to pre-empt (the judiciary). We will let the experts look at it and just see if there is grounds to put a case in to downgrade.
“We are just hurting a bit at the moment. It has been a tough start for our club and we just all have to stick together. That is our position at the moment.”
Khoury also backed Barrett to pull the team through.
“We are fully supportive of Trent,” Khoury said. “I really believe in him.”
He also pointed to key injuries and suspensions as playing a significant part in the team’s poor start.
“Ray Faitala-Mariner (foot) and Jeremy Marshall-King (foot), they are big losses to our squad,” he added.
“And then you have Jayden Okunbor (knee) too who is coming back from an ACL injury. Luke Thompson being out (suspended) for four weeks hasn’t helped. He has come back strongly which is really promising.
“(But) the new rules (have caused the problem) and the good teams have adjusted better than some of the clubs like ours at the moment.
“That is the reality of it. I am not going to sugar coat it.
“But Trent has said it. We have a lot of blokes, they are playing for contracts. It is the NRL. It is professional sport.”
The last team to go an entire season without a win was the Roosters in 1966, while in ’64 Canterbury lost its first seven games before getting a draw. The club’s only win that season was in round 14.
Hetherington hit for six as bookies hand Dogs ultimate insult
Bulldogs firebrand Jack Hetherington is facing a minmum five-week ban for his shot on Valentine Holmes after being charged by the NRL’s match review committee.
Hetherington was hit with a grade three careless high tackle charge, which usually results in a three-week suspension. But owing to his poor record, Hetherington is looking at five games with an early guilty plea - or six weeks should he fight the charge and lose.
As if the Hetherington send off wasn’t a bad enough aftermath to the Bulldogs’ sixth straight defeat to start the season, now bookmakers have handed Trent Barrett’s team the ultimate insult.
The TAB has now listed Canterbury at $13 to go through this entire 2021 NRL season winless.
It comes on the back of another embarrassing performance in Townsville when the hapless Dogs crashed to an embarrassing 30-18 defeat to North Queensland.
In a performance that was also marred by Hetherington’s controversial dismissal, it continued the club’s worst start to a season in 57 long years.
But those proud and mighty days are now a distant memory and instead Canterbury are struggling to see a light at the end of what has been a very dark and miserable period of the club’s history.
A frustrated Barrett could only look on at times disgust as he sat on the sidelines at Queensland Country Bank Stadium and watched his team dish up another performance that for the most part just wasn’t up to NRL standard.
A TAB spokesman said of the chances of them going through the season without a win: “The Dogs have a tough few weeks ahead of them with the Sharks and Eels coming up while the Dragons and Raiders follow.
“Our market has them at $5 to get their first win this week, $7.50 against Parra and the Dragons.
“If they are winless through those games we have them at $8 to beat the Dragons in Round 14 — the last time they were single figure odds to win a game this season.”
Hetherington was on Monday awaiting the NRL’s match review committee charges after being sensationally marched for collaring Valentine Holmes with a careless high tackle midway through the second half.
There was a debate on Sunday night as to whether or not Hetherington’s high shot was worthy of a send off given some of the inconsistent punishments for other illegal tackles this season.
But regardless it was high and it was dangerous and it is likely to leave Hetherington on the sidelines when the Bulldogs face the Sharks on Saturday.
Although the Bulldogs fought back with two tries while down to 12 men it was simple too little too late, as they finished the round the only team without a win after six matches.
Hetherington has an awful judiciary record and missed four matches last year for a high tackle on Manly’s Martin Taupau while he was playing for the Warriors.
It’s the last thing Barrett would want to deal with as he struggles to find a way out of a world of rugby league hurt.
The Cowboys went into the round second last on the NRL ladder so Bulldogs fans are entitled to be wondering how this team will even get a win this season.
The Roosters were the last team to go winless through an entire season and that was all the way back in 1966.
Canterbury went winless from their opening seven games in 1964 before they scored a draw. Their first and only win that season was in round 14.
The Dogs now have the Sharks, Eels and Raiders in their next three games.
It must be taken into account that the Cowboys are playing without Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo.
Bulldogs fans have every right to be filthy.
Some of the silly schoolboy errors the players came up with were just embarrassing, while the lack of patience and ability to build pressure at vital times was horrendous.
Pretty much from a first set turnover after a clumsy mix up between Renouf Atoni and Jake Averillo it was obvious they were again going to struggle.
And there was a classic case in point of their lack of direction around the 50th minute when they were trailing 12-6 and had a set near the Cowboys line.
But after bumbling their way through the set with next to no direction it was left to Atoni to run the ball on the last play with Kyle Flanagan watching on as another opportunity amounted to nothing.
Barrett would have been furious with the performance of his halves.
To their credit the Bulldogs fired up after the Hetherington send off but they just couldn’t close the deal.
The fact of the matter is they don’t have the talent to match the better teams.
But surely their fans at least deserve better energy, intent and discipline for the full 80 minutes.
DOGS CRASH TOWARD WORST START IN 57 YEARS
They were once known as the Dogs of War and for decades were regarded as one of the toughest, fiercest and most successful organisations in rugby league.
But those proud and mighty days are now a distant memory and instead Canterbury fans are left to put up with performances that just go from bad to worse by the week.
And it continued in Townsville on Sunday when a controversial Jack Hetherington send off marred an embarrassing 30-18 defeat to North Queensland that keeps the Bulldogs on track for the club’s worst start to a season in 57 long years.
A frustrated Trent Barrett could only look on in frustration and at times disgust as he sat on the sidelines at Queensland Country Bank Stadium and watched his team dish up another performance that for the most part just wasn’t up to NRL standard.
Hetherington was sensationally marched after collaring Valentine Holmes with a careless high tackle midway through the second half.
There was a debate on Sunday night as to whether or not Hetherington’s high shot was worthy of a send off given some of the inconsistent punishments for other illegal tackles this season.
But regardless it was high and it was dangerous and it is likely to leave Hetherington on the sidelines when the Bulldogs face the Sharks next Saturday.
Although the Bulldogs fought back with two tries while down to 12 men it was simple too little too late, as they finished the round the only team winless after six matches.
Hetherington has an awful judiciary record and missed four matches last year for a high tackle on Manly’s Martin Taupau while he was playing for the Warriors.
It’s the last thing Barrett would want to deal with as he struggles to find a way out of a world of rugby league hurt.
The Cowboys went into the round second last on the NRL ladder so Bulldogs fans are entitled to be wondering how this team will even get a win this season.
The Roosters were the last team to go winless through an entire season and that was all the way back in 1966.
Canterbury went winless from their opening seven games in 1964 before they scored a draw. Their first and only win that season was in round 14.
The Dogs now have the Sharks, Eels and Raiders in their next three games.
It must be taken into account that the Cowboys are playing without Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo.
Bulldogs fans have every right to be filthy.
Some of the silly schoolboy errors the players came up with were just embarrassing, while the lack of patience and ability to build pressure at vital times was horrendous.
So unlucky for Jack Hetherington that his name isn’t Latrell Mitchell.
— Brenden (@brendenfingers) April 18, 2021
That was pretty disgusting from Jack Hetherington. Send off well and truly deserved #NRLCowboysBulldogs#NRL@NRLonNine
— Michael Atkinson (@kinson88) April 18, 2021
“Can’t run without a head†- Jack Hetherington, probably #NRLCowboysBulldogs#NRL
— Jordan Zouroudis (@JZouroudis) April 18, 2021
Pretty much from a first set turnover after a clumsy mix up between Renouf Atoni and Jake Averillo it was obvious they were again going to struggle.
And there was a classic case in point of their lack of direction around the 50th minute when they were trailing 12-6 and had a set near the Cowboys line.
After bumbling their way through the set with next to no direction it was left to Atoni to run the ball on the last play with Kyle Flanagan watching on as another opportunity amounted to nothing.
Barrett would have been furious with the performance of his halves.
To their credit the Bulldogs fired up after the Hetherington send off but they just couldn’t close the deal.
The fact of the matter is they don’t have the talent to match the better teams.
But surely their fans at least deserve better energy, intent and discipline for the full 80 minutes.
FULL MATCH REPORT
— Matthew Elkington
Jack Hetherington’s hothead became explosive at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, leaving the Bulldogs at the mercy of the Cowboys and igniting a stale clash between the two spoon contenders.
The visitors were left a man down for the final quarter of the game after he levelled Cowboys fullback Valentine Holmes with a careless swinging arm in the 30-18 loss.
It was an ugly incident which left Holmes visibly shaken on the ground, and referee Ashley Klein wasted little time before pointing the way to the dressing rooms.
Hetherington, who had earlier laid on the Bulldogs first try with an impressive offload, became the first player sent from the field this season and the first time it was used since Sharks halfback Chad Townsend was sent off in Round 17 last season for a late shot on Kalyn Ponga.
But the move appeared to inspire the Bulldogs, who landed two direct blows and appeared to be coming over the top of the Cowboys in the dying stages.
But it would prove a bridge too far for the visitors which Mitch Dunn slicing his way to the line on a solo effort in the final minutes to lock in the win.
For a winning coach, Todd Payten appeared far from happy of his team’s rollercoaster performance.
“That performance just indicates where we are really at as a team. We have moments and patches, but we have some decision making errors that we still need to improve if we are to get any better,” Payten said.
“We were fortunate, even though the send-off was the right call, if they have 13 players on the field who knows what happens.
“The message at half time was play through the middle, and when we did that we were effective. When we tried to play around them, it wasn’t effective. We have a tendency to get bored with what we are doing.
“I think we are trying hard but I don’t think we are being smart enough. We have spoken about playing the game the right way, spending energy to gain energy. We do that in patches and then there are other periods we are not doing it.”
BENCH PRESS
One area Payten was impressed with was his bench.
The Cowboys grew an extra leg with the injection of their forwards, including Dunn who came on as a smaller body in the middle of the field and exploited the Bulldogs tired middle forwards.
Molo (163m from 15 carries) and Jensen (118m) both topped the metres for the Cowboys and provided a solid foundation through the middle third.
Rookie backrower Ben Condon, who punched out a 70-minute stint in just his fourth game of NRL, also looked impressive with the ball almost making 100m and scoring another barge over try from five metres out.
“I thought all of our bench was really good. They made a difference to the tempo of the game, they had some good involvements,” Payten said.
“Mitch Dunn did really well to play through the middle which is not his best position.”
FLANAGAN FLEXES MUSCLE
The Roosters might have chosen young gun Sam Walker over him, but Kyle Flangan sent a clear reminder as to why he is one of the more exciting young halves in the game.
The Bulldogs conductor was pulling all the right strings late in the second half to pull his side back into the clash despite being down a man.
Flanagan scored a try under the sticks after refusing to die wondering on a poke through from dummy-half Sione Katoa before backing up with a swift cut-out ball to give the visitors a 2-on-1 overlap before Tuipulotu Katoa crossed in the corner.
But it was too little too late for the Bulldogs who had squandered too many opportunities earlier in the clash to give themselves an advantage.
Winless coach Trent Barrett appeared flat-out frustrated watching on from the sideline, with the silly errors leaving them 0-6 to start the season and appearing a long way off breaking through for that drought-ending victory.
“I was disappointed with a few of our errors. Really, really poor errors. They were individual errors, not really team related,” Barrett said.
“It put us under a hell of a lot of pressure in the end and then made it too hard on ourselves with 12 men in the end there.
“One of the positives you can take out of it, they were gallant (at the end). But we shouldn’t have been in that position. We turned over too much cheap ball and failure to build any pressure at all when we were in the game at 6-6 at half time.”
It won’t get any easier for the Bulldogs next week heading to Sydney’s south to face the Sharks, while the Cowboys will remain in Townsville another week to host the Raiders in what is becoming an annual Anzac weekend tradition in the garrison city.
Originally published as NRL 2021: Canterbury chairman John Khoury says club is standing behind firebrand Jack Hetherington
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