‘Comfortable’ Canterbury warned to fix mindset
Jasper Bruce |
Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton believes the Bulldogs became “too comfortable” on their rise up the NRL ladder, warning the season will be defined by the next seven weeks not the past seven months.
Friday night’s loss to the Sydney Roosters continued a rollercoaster month for the third-placed Bulldogs, who appear to have lost their consistency from earlier in the season at exactly the wrong time.
Viliame Kikau said it was “hard to watch” clips from the 32-12 defeat during the team’s review session on Monday.
“Just some of the areas that we pride ourselves on, all the effort areas, that came up a few times,” said the second-rower.
“That’s been addressed and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
The Bulldogs have followed impressive wins over Manly and the Warriors with losses to Wests Tigers and the Roosters over the past four weeks.
Crichton’s side will all but forfeit their shot at a top-two finish if they fall to Melbourne at AAMI Park in their third-last game before finals.
“There’s no panic at all, we just need to get back to that Bulldogs-style game,” Kikau said ahead of Friday’s clash.
“It’s just getting our mindset right.”
Crichton agreed the path back to consistency was in the mental side of the game.
“(It’s) probably just the mindset things again. Probably getting a bit too comfortable in that sense,” Crichton said of the Bulldogs’ capricious ways.
“We’re in the serious end of the season right now, leading into the finals.
“It’s kind of tapping into that mindset, where your mindset was in those two good games and where that mindset was in the two bad games. It’s still a work in progress for our team.”
On Friday night, coach Cameron Ciraldo accused members of the playing group of failing to lift their intensity during the loss to the Roosters.
Kikau promised the senior players would be on their toes if the coach’s message fell on deaf ears against the Storm.
“We try and address it as soon as we start to feel there’s complacency in the group,” he said.
“As leaders of the group, we try and address it straight away so we don’t get that in the team. Hopefully there’s none this week.”
The Bulldogs have plenty of experienced hands in the dressing room to rally the troops, with Kikau, Crichton, Jaeman Salmon and Matt Burton all winning premierships during their time at Penrith.
A 13-week run atop the ladder earlier in the season is extra reason for confidence at a club that has not finished in the top four for 12 seasons.
But Crichton urged the Bulldogs not to forget that now was the time of the year when premiership dreams were realised, not the months that have passed.
“We were playing really good footy at the start of the year but no one remembers what happens at the start of the year,” he said.
“It’s where we are right now and the opportunity right in front of us is very special. We’ve set ourselves up really well.
“The opportunity is right in front of us. It comes down to our squad, our coaching staff, to make the most of it.”
AAP
