Why the Bulldogs had complete faith in Kerrod Holland

WITH Kerrod Holland boasting “Iceman” among his nicknames its easy to see why the Bulldogs had total faith in the rookie when the game was on the line.

Bulldogs Kerrod Holland kicks the winning conversion during NRL match Penrith Panthers v Canterbury Bulldogs at Penrith. Picture. Phil Hillyard

KERROD Holland is casual.

And ‘Casual’.

“Yeah, that’s the nickname we have for him,’’ dad Mick tells The Saturday Telegraph with a grin.

“Casual. We’ve been calling him that around home for years.

“Honestly, Kerrod has never been one to show any sort of emotion ... you wouldn’t know if he’d just won Lotto or run over his dog.”

Standing now outside Pepper Stadium — tattooed arms, thonged feet and a wide smile splashed right across his face — Mick Holland is explaining how his boy has just created NRL history.

Not only kicking Canterbury to victory in a Thursday night nailbiter, but doing it on debut.

And, no, the old boy didn’t have the greatest view.

Wedged, as he was, with a large group of family and friends in the left corner of the Pepper Stadium northern hill.

Straining to see as, on the opposite side of the field, down the opposite end, his boy lined up that conversion you now know all about.

On debut.

After fulltime.

More pressure than the Eels’ finances.

Yet ask anyone who knows this 23-year-old Cessnock native, and they knew it was going over.

Take Moses Mbye, the Canterbury star whose try levelled the scores only moments earlier.

“Oh, I knew it was going over,’’ the Dogs seven would say later. “I knew ‘The Iceman’ had it.”

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“That’s what we call Kerrod,’’ he said. “Never misses a kick at training. Never.”

Apparently it has always been this way, too.

“One of those kids who always had a footy in his hands,’’ says brother John, also among that gang in the northern corner.

“Growing up, we had a park just down the road and he was always practising.”

Indeed, this seems to be the other great trademark of ‘Casual’.

Quizzed on the rookie who has been catapulted from Singleton Greyhound to Canterbury Bulldog, coach Des Hasler said: “Great work ethic”.

Skipper James Graham agreeing: “Quiet kid, works hard”.

Better, Casual backs himself.

Always has.

Holland spent time playing with the Cessnock Goannas.

“Kerrod was always a good player,’’ Mick continues. “Played first grade in the Newcastle comp at 17.

“But as a dad, you’re always worried things won’t work out. So I made him get a trade. Apprentice electrician.

“I told him to go do that and, if he really believed in himself, have one last crack afterwards.”

So he did.

And has.

Kicking that Thursday night goal despite a host of obstacles, including having mum watching on from hospital, having undergone minor surgery.

So no game day nerves then?

“Oh, no chance,’’ Mick laughs. “I just rang to make sure he’d packed his mouthguard.

“For as long as I can remember, Kerrod’s always forgotten to take a mouthguard to games.

“But he said, yep, it was all good.

“So then I asked if he’d packed shorts and socks? He told me ‘dad, don’t worry, in the NRL they bring all that to the game for you’.

“I thought to myself ... yeah, and just as well they do Casual.”

Originally published as Why the Bulldogs had complete faith in Kerrod Holland