Canterbury Bulldogs are the worst first half scorer in matches since the NRL era began
BULLDOGS fans have had little to cheer about this year but it’s even worse than they may have thought.
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“FRUSTRATION becomes debilitating.”
These are the three words from Des Hasler which underline the pain of Canterbury’s season from hell.
And the numbers highlight his misery — according to Fox Sports Lab statistics, the Bulldogs are the worst scorers in the first half of matches since the NRL era began in 1998.
The Bulldogs have scored just 84 first-half points in 20 games — a paltry average of 4.2, which is worse than the horribly outclassed Western Suburbs, South Sydney and Gold Coast sides from the late 1990s.
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Cronulla are second-worst in first-half points with eight per game, which is nearly double Canterbury’s tally.
Hasler’s troops have a chance to stop their scoring rot in Thursday night’s clash with fellow strugglers South Sydney at ANZ Stadium.
To be fair, Canterbury’s second-half scoring has been considerably better and the game has changed dramatically since those Magpies, Rabbitohs and Chargers teams of the 1990s.
Scoring the equivalent of just one try in the first half per game has naturally damaged Canterbury’s chances of victory, leading to their predicament of 13th spot on the ladder with a 7-13 record.
“We have to be mindful that we don’t get frustrated with it, because frustration becomes debilitating,” Hasler told The Daily Telegraph.
“Last week against Parramatta, we had 30 per cent of possession in the first half.
“We played Parramatta five weeks earlier and we had even possession. The score finished 12-12 at full-time.
“We just haven’t managed possession as we would have liked. The players are trying incredibly hard.
“Our execution has been lacking all year but the players want to finish the season strongly for the fans.”
The Bulldogs have been criticised for their structured — even boring — style of play but several clubs have been bogged down in attack this season as coaches favour controlled football over adlib play.
Souths are third-worst in first half points with 8.1. If the stats hold true on Thursday, there will only be 12 points in the first half.
Hasler needs a win or two over the remaining four rounds to ease pressure on his future.
He signed a two-year contract extension in April and Canterbury’s board is aware it will be ridiculed and mocked by sacking the same coach just months later.
The club has added high-profile recruits for 2018 in Wests Tigers prop Aaron Woods and Warriors five-eighth Kieran Foran.
Canterbury have been unable to find any momentum all season through a lack of direction from their halves.
Even though the wet conditions made it hard to make an impact, Chase Stanley wasn’t overly impressive last week but has retained his position in the halves alongside five-eighth Josh Reynolds.
“Souths are in a similar seat and position to us,” Hasler said. “Both sides really want to finish well for their fans.”
St George Illawarra are the best first-half scorers this season, averaging 12.7 points per match.
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