Is the real Manly back?

[NewwyEagle]

Very happy with these last two weeks and am so happy to be currently eating my own words.
If we can match it with the Roosters on Friday I'll believe we're going to have a good 2017. Have to say the dogs were total **** today though, so whilst happy I'm not convinced. DCE was amazing though, if he plays like that every week we're in with a shot.

 

[TimmyQ]

I think we need to show we can compete against the Roosters next week before I'm prepared to call it.

Yup they are the benchmark. We will need to play even better to beat those bastards..basically a Qld/nsw origin team on paper but we are making progress

 

[TimmyQ]

Jury still out till after next Fri night. Could just be that the Cows and Dogs had really really off nights. The Souths effort still haunts me.

Nup with respect thats a harsh call. Cows maybe but Dogs had a full strength team and we dominated/smashed em. Like i said pre game if we complete sets, play smart with good field position we will win more than we lose. We have great defence and our combinations are getting better. Its looking good

 

[Crusher_Cleal]

Nearly midnight and still thinking about
1. Tom Turbo
2. Scoring 36 points on the Dogs
3. Tom Turbo
4. Conceding 0 points
5. Tom Turbo
6. Des' face
7. Tom Turbo
8. Finally a win at Brookie

 

[Brooke]

Nearly midnight and still thinking about
1. Tom Turbo
2. Scoring 36 points on the Dogs
3. Tom Turbo
4. Conceding 0 points
5. Tom Turbo
6. Des' face
7. Tom Turbo
8. Finally a win at Brookie

Add DCE and how awesome he was/is and I am with you. Love that winning feeling

 

[Clay]

Nup withh respect thats a harsh call. Cows maybe but Dogs had a full strength team and we dominated/smashed em. Like i said pre game if we complete sets, play smart with good field position we will win more than we lose. We have great defence and our combinations are getting better. Its looking good

The dogs had a near full strength team but there attitude was awful. I think they aren't playing for Des anymore.
Two things early on in the game that made me realise we were going to win.
First drop out at roughly 3 mins they go short, That is not in the Des play book. Next drop out they go short again.
The second thing is the first time they are in our 20 they get a penalty and don't take the two, scores were level and was inside 10 mins.
At that point I turned to my wife and said Dogs either aren't playing for Des or they don't respect this Manly team. Either way we are going to win.

The cows were fatigued and it's was their first game without Scott/tamalolo.

We outplayed both these teams but they weren't anywhere near the best. Can't wait for the Roosters game

 

[nightster]

It could be a good game to give Hastings more game time ...

 

[Waz13]

Nup withh respect thats a harsh call. Cows maybe but Dogs had a full strength team and we dominated/smashed em. Like i said pre game if we complete sets, play smart with good field position we will win more than we lose. We have great defence and our combinations are getting better. Its looking good

Dogs had players out but if you look across every team every round most won't have there absolute full strength team on the field. That's why depth plays such a big part. That being said we've had guys out and we can only play whats in front of us and we dominated both the cows and dogs. We didn't just beat them we rolled them both quite easily really. Dogs results leading into our game was close losses to storm and easts and a win in NZ. Cows now have 3 wins after last night. This team is still learning but I really like what I'm seeing and there is no reason we can't make the 8 this year. I'm still not sure on carrying Hastings and brown in the bench tho, but we are 2 from 2 with that combo so illl give credit to Trent there.

 

[jbb/james]

Its good signs for sure. But we need to see them come back from the dead, when in trouble to acknowledge mentally they have to rise, kick smart and attack with defence.

This was clearly where gifty and choc in particular, with kitey and king dog used to up the ante, ignore the scoreboard and get the team up.

The backs responded, stayed calm and teams got the wobbles because they knew the signs and knew what was coming

It has been a good start to the season built on willingness, defence and attitude with a few timely lessons thrown in.

They are showing the world how resilliant this club can be, how strong its DNA and attitude is but we are not back yet

But they are playing off the manly song book

 

[Crusher_Cleal]

And we're not even playing with a full salary cap..

 

[mbe]

I have to say, yes - very much so

It begs the question, though, I wonder what was the watershed which turned them around, and without Kapow and AFB?

I will never forget DCE's reaction when he was asked about how safe Trent Barrett's job was after the loss to Souths. He thought it was funny and couldn't stop laughing. The reporter wanted to know if he had read the paper and he admitted he didn't. It kind of gave him a shock and he later admitted it was the players who played and not the coach and it was the players responsibility to follow the coaches plans. Later we find out that the players had a meeting to sort things out. Maybe that loss is the loss we had to have to turn things around just like Cronulla's loss to us last year was the loss that turned their season around.

 

[TimmyQ]

The dogs had a near full strength team but there attitude was awful. I think they aren't playing for Des anymore.
Two things early on in the game that made me realise we were going to win.
First drop out at roughly 3 mins they go short, That is not in the Des play book. Next drop out they go short again.
The second thing is the first time they are in our 20 they get a penalty and don't take the two, scores were level and was inside 10 mins.
At that point I turned to my wife and said Dogs either aren't playing for Des or they don't respect this Manly team. Either way we are going to win.

The cows were fatigued and it's was their first game without Scott/tamalolo.

We outplayed both these teams but they weren't anywhere near the best. Can't wait for the Roosters game

Yeah have to question the respect they had for us - if they thought winning was just a formality they sure got a wake up call there..the decision not to take the 2 points on offer a couple of times early was weird..we werent exactly on the rack at the time with them looking threatening. Couple that with those ridiculous short drop outs particularly when we were up 14 zip was one of the stupidest things ive seen..very bizarre performance from the dogs

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Couple that with those ridiculous short drop outs particularly when we were up 14 zip was one of the stupidest things ive seen..very bizarre performance from the dogs

That's supposed to be the all-new, all-singing, all-dancing dazzlingly unpredictable Bulldogs attack (except it's not really unpredictable when you try the short dropout every time), instituted by the all-new, much-smarter-now-because-he-wears-glasses Des Hasler. Looks like he borrowed a page from the Walker brothers' coaching handbook…

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I loved what I saw last night BUT to suggest " we are back" sets you up big time when ( if ) we fail against one of the top sides.

If we do the same against the Roosters next week I'll join the bandwagon, in the meantime fabulous win against one of our two arch enemies and so let's just enjoy it for what it is , a bloody good win!

 

[TimmyQ]

That's supposed to be the all-new, all-singing, all-dancing dazzlingly unpredictable Bulldogs attack (except it's not really unpredictable when you try the short dropout every time), instituted by the all-new, much-smarter-now-because-he-wears-glasses Des Hasler. Looks like he borrowed a page from the Walker brothers' coaching handbook…

Hahahahahahahaha

 

[desreturnoftheking]

Today we played in such a way that reminded me of our "decade of dominance" (so did last week). We have conceded 8 points in the last 2 games. Our defence right now is surely one of the best in the comp?

Now, I know it is only round 4 but we have beaten 2 of the top 8 teams from last year.

I don't want to get ahead of myself but I have to ask you guys the question:

Is Manly Back?

I don't think so we played two teams that were missing players in the dogs case can't score for **** lol the roosters will be a real test for us they are 4 and zip and there defense is good but not great keary is vulnerable as is Pearce. There scramble defense is some of the best but kicks behind the line like cherry did last week is key! They will be a good test. don't get me wrong I'm very proud of our boys but there not like old manl . not yet