Adam Elliott says battling Bulldogs up for the fight
CANTERBURY are in for the fight — to save their coach and avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
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CANTERBURY are in for the fight — to save their coach and avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
With six games left in the season, the Bulldogs sit in 14th spot on the ladder, equal on points with North Queensland and Parramatta.
Bulldogs forward Adam Elliott said his teammates were prepared to do whatever it took to win their way up from the foot of the ladder and prevent Dean Pay becoming the first rookie coach since Paul Langmack at South Sydney in 2003 to finish last.
“We can’t really help where we are right now,” Elliott said.
“All we can do is think about the future and for us it’s about building momentum going into the off-season.”
Elliott said although they had to face up to the possibility of finishing last, the Bulldogs were only focused on winning.
“It’s not something that we have dwelled on or continuously spoken about, but it has been mentioned a few times,” he said.
“It’s something that you definitely don’t want to get.
“We’re solely just going to be trying to win so we can avoid getting that. It’s not something we want to carry into the next season.”
A win against Wests Tigers tonight at ANZ Stadium will be a step towards repaying Pay’s enduring commitment.
“The boys love Deano, we’re really behind him,” Elliott said.
“I think before we start feeling sorry for ourselves I think we all probably feel a little bit sorry for Deano because he’s come here and from the word go he has shown the passion and the fire in his belly he’s got for this club.”
It has been a punishing year for Pay, with just four wins in 18 matches while trying to balance a roster that has been decimated by salary-cap constraints.
“We’ve been really disappointing in our standards this year and from week to week it’s really getting harder for him — and I know the rest of the playing group feels the same,” Elliott said.
The Bulldogs pack must step up in the middle tonight and be ready to defend for the entire 80 minutes if they are to overcome the Tigers, Elliott said.
It will also be the first time his side has come up against Moses Mbye, who was released from Belmore to Concord in a bid help ease cap pressure.
“They’ve been playing on confidence all year, they came out and surprised a lot of teams,” Elliott said.
“The way they are playing now with Robbie (Farah) and Benji (Marshall) reconnecting, and now they’ve got Moses (Mbye) at the back, that’s a big spark for them.
“If we don’t look after the middle first, that gives those outside backs a chance to throw the footy around and be a little flashy with the ball and they can score a lot points.”