NRL coach Trent Barrett’s message to Bulldogs forward Jack Hetherington

Bulldogs firebrand Jack Hetherington has once again come under fire for his tackling style, this time during his side’s loss to the Tigers.

Barrett concedes that Hetherington must clean up his act. Image: NRL Photos/Getty

Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett doesn’t think Jack Hetherington should have been sin binned for a high shot in his side’s 28-16 loss to the Wests Tigers on Sunday, but concedes his aggressive front-rower needs to work on his tackle technique.

Hetherington finished the game in the bin for a high shot on Alex Twal that was also put on report, and it came after he conceded a penalty for throwing Luciano Leilua to the ground while his side was in possession.

Some of the game’s best judges are confident Hetherington has the talent to one day play State of Origin, but he won’t get the opportunity to stake his claim if he continues to earn the ire of the referees.

The firebrand has earned praise for standing up to other packs, but he’s also got a reputation as someone who takes his aggression too far.

He was sent off and slapped with a five-game ban earlier in the year for a spectacular high shot on Valentine Holmes, and has become all too familiar with the NRL judiciary over the years.

There were concerns he’d struggle under the game’s high tackle crackdown, but for the most part he’s been fairly clean since returning a few weeks ago.

Barrett believes Hetherington’s reputation may have led to his early dismissal on Sunday, but says the club will have to work on his technique to avoid more long-term suspensions.

“I didn’t think there was too much in that one,” he said.

“I think he’s been put on report about six times for no charges.

“It’s something we’ve got to address because we can’t tackle high. I didn’t think it deserved the 10 minutes.”

Jack Hetherington has been sent to the bin.

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Wests Tigers fans can breathe a little easier after their side defeated wooden-spoon certainties the Bulldogs 28-16 in a rollercoaster performance that could’ve been shifted from Cbus Super Stadium to one of the Gold Coast’s many theme parks.

The result eases pressure on Michael Maguire who has been feeling the heat since last week’s capitulation against the Warriors, but he would have been hoping for something more emphatic against a team that has picked up just two wins all year.

“It was a scrappy win,” Maguire said.

“But getting two points, especially after the last couple of weeks where we showed signs and let things go, it was good to see the boys dig in and get to the end of the game.

“As scrappy as it was, they know they can be a lot better.”

The try-scoring nous of mid-season recruit Ken Maumalo got the Tigers over the line on Sunday afternoon. Image: NRL Photos

The frustrating thing for their followers is they know there’s potential. They handed the Panthers their first loss of the season and took the Rabbitohs to golden point but the only consistent thing this year has been their inconsistency.

Some of their players looked great on Sunday, but at other times they came up with schoolboy errors.

Luciano Leilua dropped the ball in the first set but responded to open the scoring.

Moses Mbye inexplicably put a foot in touch when the ball was going out but then played long to set up Ken Maumalo. He kicked out on the full but also looked threatening through the middle. This was all in the first half.

Maumalo put down a simple bomb but scored two powerful first-half tries, including a spectacular leap through the air to ground a Luke Brooks cross field kick.

And Brooks? He played like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders; an unfair situation he’s found himself in with his future still up in the air.

He nailed his first 40/20 of the year but then threw a forward pass two plays later. He knocked on with his very next touch, but shrugged it off to set up Maumalo’s second try of the afternoon.

No one is expecting perfection from these players because they’re not robots. But when you see what they’re capable of, it’s hard to explain the errors.

The fluctuations are what you see in petrol prices before a public holiday, not from a rugby league team. It’s why they’re only a mathematical chance to play finals footy, but at least they’re doing a whole lot better than the Bulldogs.

“If we build on this week then anything can happen in the game,” Maguire replied when asked about his side’s finals chances.

The Bulldogs are still searching for their third win of the season. Image: NRL Photos

Conservative views

There’s a fine line between playing conservatively and being downright negative.

The Bulldogs had pulled within six points after Corey Waddell’s try late in the first half. They worked it beyond halfway from the next set, but instead of chancing their arm, Jake Averillo dribbled the ball into touch.

There were about 30 seconds to go at that stage, and it was highly unlikely that the Tigers would punish them if they got the ball back. Surely the better play would have been to send the ball sky high to see if they could get lucky.

It typified their safety-first approach which seemed odd against a team that is struggling for confidence.

When they did use the ball, Nick Meaney and Averillo combined for a lovely try through the middle. Unfortunately, it was a rare highlight.

The cattle won’t get better until next year, but the Bulldogs need to be a bit more adventurous in the final month of the season and they can start by picking and sticking in the spine.

“We had our chances to still win the game…but you can’t win football games making errors and having individuals making ill-disciplined decisions,” Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett said.

And while Trent Barrett is encouraged to name the same core four, he might need to look for a new prop after Jack Hetherington was put on report and sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Alex Twal.

Originally published as NRL coach Trent Barrett’s message to Bulldogs forward Jack Hetherington