Canterbury prop David Klemmer opens up on Bulldogs’ salary cap mess and why best mate Aaron Woods had to leave
HE has been through it all with NSW, and now must watch his club bleed its best talent. Bulldogs prop David Klemmer has revealed why best mate Aaron Woods had to leave Belmore and how important a clean sweep is for the Blues.
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DAVID Klemmer is the dog who refuses to walk away from a fight.
The battle scars of a salary cap scrap at his beloved Canterbury are evident, but not enough to keep him down.
Likewise his best mate Aaron Woods, who Klemmer is adamant, will soon be back beside him in Blue.
Klemmer spoke candidly to The Daily Telegraph about how the cap mess has impacted him, why he wants to wrap up the Origin series with NSW 3-0 and how Woods can regain his mojo at Cronulla.
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“Me and Woodsy are tight, we’re best mates but he’s got to be happy,’’ Klemmer said. “He’s got to be enjoying his footy to get back into these sides.
“He’s got a job to do now and he did that last week against the Warriors.
“You can’t sit on things too long, you’ve got to get over it, it’s a business and you’ve got go and play footy.
“He knows what he’s got to do (to get back here). He started that last week.”
Klemmer’s physical prowess on the footy field has never been in question. But what’s been lost in the midst of a history making Origin series for NSW, is Klemmer’s mental fortitude.
It would seem that, around him, Rome is burning.
His club is bleeding and his best mate, of whom he convinced to join the Bulldogs, is gone. It’s the perfect cocktail to bring a footballer’s form down.
Yet, Klemmer is mentally stronger than ever before. And it’s shown in each of his Origin I and II performances - running for a combined 220 metres.
“The last two years, in 2016 and 17, there’s been salary cap drama at the club,’’ Klemmer said.
“I was only new to it and it affected me. But I’ve since learned a lot from that.
“You can’t focus all your energy on that. I play footy for a living and I still have the same love for it, ever since I was six years old.
“When I did worry about it, it affected me. It’s heartbreaking seeing the club the way it is. But there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
“For me, I just want to keep playing footy and that’s the positive thing for me. I haven’t lost that love.
“I want to keep working on my game and improving as a person. If I can do that, it’s going to help my team and get through this situation.’’
At 24, the father of three has had to grow up fast. But not fast enough to ignore the significance and want to put Queensland to the sword, while they’re down.
“We’ve still got another big game with history to make,’’ Klemmer said.
“We’ve got to keep knuckling down and working hard and keep learning as a group because we can never stop learning.
“In rugby league, you never know when you’re going to win something. I’ve been in a grand final, but I’m still chasing one.
“Then Origin, with losing the last couple of years, you never know when you’re going to win one.
“You start getting a bit older and things get harder to achieve, so when you do win, you take it in because you know how hard you’ve worked.
“You’ve been through the rubbish, we’ve been bagged and as a group. It was so good to achieve something that I’ve never done in my career.
“They’re going to come out firing because it’s devastating if you go down 3-0 nil.
“We know what we’re in for. They’ve got nothing to lose. We’ve got everything to win.’’
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