Trent Barrett had an up and down first season with the Bulldogs.
They have added some real star potential and he knows the Canterbury faithful are excited – but warns that attitude is as important as ability for a club looking to restore pride.
Q: What do you learn from last season?
A: A lot. It was one of those years where we had to be very patient and not get frustrated by the results we were getting. I knew it was going to be difficult coming into the job. I would’ve liked to have won more games and we were in a position to win three or four more. Finishing the year with a win against the Tigers was a good reward for perseverance. You learn a lot about people in the organisation when you go through a season like that. We are going to be better for it. I will be better for it. I don’t want to go through it again.
Q: Was it more of a struggle than you anticipated?
A: It was hard coming in when you don’t know a lot of the players and you don’t know what’s gone on before. Everything was really new. We had to start from scratch. We knew after a few weeks that we had a lot of work to do. We were a team which needed some luck and our best players on the park. We didn’t have that. We needed all our best players on the field but we had suspensions to Jack Hetherington and Luke Thompson and injuries to Josh Jackson, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Nick Cotric. In the end we were disappointed with where we finished and are under no illusions we all need to do better.
Q: What positives do you take out of last season?
A: We were able to give first grade exposure to the likes of Aaron Schoupp, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Jake Averillo and Chris Patolo. They will be better next season because of that. It’s the second year now the staff has been together. The positive for the players is they don’t want to be in that position again. I don’t want to see the disappointment in their faces. I was really happy with their attitude and commitment. We were in games against some of the better teams for long periods but we just didn’t know how to get it done. We are still learning to win. A lot of the players hadn’t won for a long time. That’s why we bought the players we bought. They come from winning and successful clubs.
Q: Looking forward now, you’ve added plenty of players. Who are you most excited be?
A: They are all looking really good. Josh Addo-Carr’s enthusiasm is infectious – his talk and passion is good for the group. We were a team that lacked a bit of spunk. He provides that. Brent Naden has been good and they bounce off each other. Having Tevita Pangai, Brent and Matt Burton coming from the same team helps. Foxx (Addo-Carr) knows the boys as well. He knows Max King. Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan know each other. That will help fast-track the team side of things. The players we’ve bought have a point to prove for different reasons.
Q: Matt Burton obviously had a big year. Stature wise and ability wise he plays pretty similar to the way you played. Do you see any similarities?
A: Yeah. He is a big body and his strength is his run. He has a big left foot. We want him to run the ball. He needs a fair few things around him going well to be able to do what he does well. We need a lot out of our nine and our seven to free Matty up. I won’t be burdening Matt Burton on running the side. We have to all chip him to free him up for what he is good at. He hasn’t played five-eighth for a full 12 months. We will let him develop as the year goes on. If we can keep everyone healthy and our edges intact that will help everyone.
Q: Was it hard not to get excited watching him at the back end of 2021, knowing he was coming?
A: Everyone saw what a talent he is. We have to remind ourselves he hasn’t played six for a while. He is a natural footballer.
Q: Who partners him in the halves?
A: Brandon Wakeham has come back in a good shape with a totally different attitude. Jake is the same and is going to be a year further in his education playing in the halves. Kyle Flanagan is trying really hard and we’ve got young Bailey who has benefited from a year under his belt being around NRL players. There are a few options there. Post-Christmas is really important for those four players. It’ll be what’s best for the team and they will be given equal opportunity.
Q: With so many new players, how do you get them working together? Does it change your pre-season?
A: We’ve had a big focus on stripping things back and nailing our fundamentals. We let ourselves down last season on fundamental skills and the simple basics of the game. We weren’t consistent in that. We need to have pride in the way we train. That’s been our main focus. I can’t fault their attitude. They’ve ripped in.
Q: How does the Bulldogs style of play evolve with more attacking players?
A: The principles of the game won’t change. Having a Dufty, Burton, Naden and Addo-Carr, it’s about getting them the ball at the right time at the right part of the field. Defensively we need to be good and controlling the ball. Otherwise it doesn’t matter how much strike we have. Defence will come first. You won’t see the fruits of having some of those really good individual attacking players, if we don’t do the other parts of the game well
Q: It was an up and down year for Kyle, what role do you see him having?
A: He will be given every opportunity. One thing you can’t fault with Kyle is his toughness and competitiveness. He still has some things to learn as do all our players. His attitude has been really good.
Q: Matt Dufty has been much maligned defensively. How much time will spend on that side of the game with him?
A: We do a lot. We know what he can do with the ball. Defence is an attitude and so far he has done very well. A lot is around effort and awareness. If Matty wants to get there he will get there.
Q: Canterbury fans are excited. What can they expect?
A: We need to improve. That’s obvious from where we finished last season and where the club has finished in recent seasons. We did make a little bit of ground. We’ve been able to recruit some players that are going to help. We will be naive to think they will walk in and change the place straight away. We need incremental improvements – week to week – which is what we are trying to get at training. We’re lucky with the fan base we’ve got. They are excited with the players we’ve brought in but that alone does not bring success. We have to work hard. We are aware of that.
Q: Which rookie do you expect to kick-on?
A: Chris Patolo can play in the middle or on edge. He is doing really well. He just extended his contract and benefited from a pre-season last year. Biondi-Odo has impressed. We’ve also got some really good local kids – Paul Alamoti is just 17 and handling the training really well. We have a fair few coming through the ranks.
Q: Alamoti is a player a lot of people are excited about. Could he play first grade in 2022?
A: We won’t rush him. He isn’t 18 until January. He just finished his HSC. We see him as a potential NRL player but he is one we want to see play NRL for 10 years. We will be taking our time. We have depth in the centres. There won’t be pressure to pick Paul. Our main concern is that he is developed properly. From a potential point of view he is very good. He still hasn’t played outside of age group footy. Physically he is an elite kid.
Q: Tevita has played on an edge and in the middle. What are the plans for him?
A: He has been training on an edge. We know he can play in the middle. The biggest thing on an edge is defending. Your fourth man is the pillar of your defence. We do want to have a look at him on an edge. We have injuries to Ray and Matt Doorey but at the moment he will spend time on an edge.
Q: How much of a help has Phil Gould been for you?
A: He has given direction to the whole club. He is the smartest person I know in rugby league. He has seen the good and bad over the last 30 or 40 years. He has been helpful for me in terms of taking a lot of the workload off in dealing with managers, media and administrative tasks. I was getting caught up in that which I would’ve liked to have avoided. He is helpful for the club but also all our coaches. He is a good sounding board to have. (Ex-All Blacks coach) Steve Hansen is there as well. Gus and Steve are very different in a lot of ways but similar in ways too. Gus wants to win. Everything he does are for the right reasons. He knows this is going to be a long-term fix. When we do fix it, we want it fixed for good.
Q: What’s Steve’s role going forward?
A: He is a consultant and an ear for all our coaches. He is an ear for Josh Jackson. He doesn’t mince his words and doesn’t talk a lot. Steve and Gus have different strengths which makes them a good foil for us. They are two unique people and we’re very lucky to have them here,
Q: You’ve added some real superstars for 2023 in Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau. What attracted you to them?
A: Reed is still very young and someone we think we can build our club around. Jeremy Marshall-King is here and doing really well but we are going to need two hookers. What struck me about Reed is his professionalism and how good of a person he is. I’ve never heard a bad word said about him. He is a competitor. He epitomises the team we want to be – he is a tough little bugger who competes. It’s what we need. Kiks is a luxury. We all know how good he is. He is the best backrower in the game. We are starting to put pieces of the puzzle together. They are still 12 months away. We need to make sure when they are here the place is in good shape.
They have added some real star potential and he knows the Canterbury faithful are excited – but warns that attitude is as important as ability for a club looking to restore pride.
Q: What do you learn from last season?
A: A lot. It was one of those years where we had to be very patient and not get frustrated by the results we were getting. I knew it was going to be difficult coming into the job. I would’ve liked to have won more games and we were in a position to win three or four more. Finishing the year with a win against the Tigers was a good reward for perseverance. You learn a lot about people in the organisation when you go through a season like that. We are going to be better for it. I will be better for it. I don’t want to go through it again.
Q: Was it more of a struggle than you anticipated?
A: It was hard coming in when you don’t know a lot of the players and you don’t know what’s gone on before. Everything was really new. We had to start from scratch. We knew after a few weeks that we had a lot of work to do. We were a team which needed some luck and our best players on the park. We didn’t have that. We needed all our best players on the field but we had suspensions to Jack Hetherington and Luke Thompson and injuries to Josh Jackson, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Nick Cotric. In the end we were disappointed with where we finished and are under no illusions we all need to do better.
Q: What positives do you take out of last season?
A: We were able to give first grade exposure to the likes of Aaron Schoupp, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Jake Averillo and Chris Patolo. They will be better next season because of that. It’s the second year now the staff has been together. The positive for the players is they don’t want to be in that position again. I don’t want to see the disappointment in their faces. I was really happy with their attitude and commitment. We were in games against some of the better teams for long periods but we just didn’t know how to get it done. We are still learning to win. A lot of the players hadn’t won for a long time. That’s why we bought the players we bought. They come from winning and successful clubs.
Q: Looking forward now, you’ve added plenty of players. Who are you most excited be?
A: They are all looking really good. Josh Addo-Carr’s enthusiasm is infectious – his talk and passion is good for the group. We were a team that lacked a bit of spunk. He provides that. Brent Naden has been good and they bounce off each other. Having Tevita Pangai, Brent and Matt Burton coming from the same team helps. Foxx (Addo-Carr) knows the boys as well. He knows Max King. Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan know each other. That will help fast-track the team side of things. The players we’ve bought have a point to prove for different reasons.
Q: Matt Burton obviously had a big year. Stature wise and ability wise he plays pretty similar to the way you played. Do you see any similarities?
A: Yeah. He is a big body and his strength is his run. He has a big left foot. We want him to run the ball. He needs a fair few things around him going well to be able to do what he does well. We need a lot out of our nine and our seven to free Matty up. I won’t be burdening Matt Burton on running the side. We have to all chip him to free him up for what he is good at. He hasn’t played five-eighth for a full 12 months. We will let him develop as the year goes on. If we can keep everyone healthy and our edges intact that will help everyone.
Q: Was it hard not to get excited watching him at the back end of 2021, knowing he was coming?
A: Everyone saw what a talent he is. We have to remind ourselves he hasn’t played six for a while. He is a natural footballer.
Q: Who partners him in the halves?
A: Brandon Wakeham has come back in a good shape with a totally different attitude. Jake is the same and is going to be a year further in his education playing in the halves. Kyle Flanagan is trying really hard and we’ve got young Bailey who has benefited from a year under his belt being around NRL players. There are a few options there. Post-Christmas is really important for those four players. It’ll be what’s best for the team and they will be given equal opportunity.
Q: With so many new players, how do you get them working together? Does it change your pre-season?
A: We’ve had a big focus on stripping things back and nailing our fundamentals. We let ourselves down last season on fundamental skills and the simple basics of the game. We weren’t consistent in that. We need to have pride in the way we train. That’s been our main focus. I can’t fault their attitude. They’ve ripped in.
Q: How does the Bulldogs style of play evolve with more attacking players?
A: The principles of the game won’t change. Having a Dufty, Burton, Naden and Addo-Carr, it’s about getting them the ball at the right time at the right part of the field. Defensively we need to be good and controlling the ball. Otherwise it doesn’t matter how much strike we have. Defence will come first. You won’t see the fruits of having some of those really good individual attacking players, if we don’t do the other parts of the game well
Q: It was an up and down year for Kyle, what role do you see him having?
A: He will be given every opportunity. One thing you can’t fault with Kyle is his toughness and competitiveness. He still has some things to learn as do all our players. His attitude has been really good.
Q: Matt Dufty has been much maligned defensively. How much time will spend on that side of the game with him?
A: We do a lot. We know what he can do with the ball. Defence is an attitude and so far he has done very well. A lot is around effort and awareness. If Matty wants to get there he will get there.
Q: Canterbury fans are excited. What can they expect?
A: We need to improve. That’s obvious from where we finished last season and where the club has finished in recent seasons. We did make a little bit of ground. We’ve been able to recruit some players that are going to help. We will be naive to think they will walk in and change the place straight away. We need incremental improvements – week to week – which is what we are trying to get at training. We’re lucky with the fan base we’ve got. They are excited with the players we’ve brought in but that alone does not bring success. We have to work hard. We are aware of that.
Q: Which rookie do you expect to kick-on?
A: Chris Patolo can play in the middle or on edge. He is doing really well. He just extended his contract and benefited from a pre-season last year. Biondi-Odo has impressed. We’ve also got some really good local kids – Paul Alamoti is just 17 and handling the training really well. We have a fair few coming through the ranks.
Q: Alamoti is a player a lot of people are excited about. Could he play first grade in 2022?
A: We won’t rush him. He isn’t 18 until January. He just finished his HSC. We see him as a potential NRL player but he is one we want to see play NRL for 10 years. We will be taking our time. We have depth in the centres. There won’t be pressure to pick Paul. Our main concern is that he is developed properly. From a potential point of view he is very good. He still hasn’t played outside of age group footy. Physically he is an elite kid.
Q: Tevita has played on an edge and in the middle. What are the plans for him?
A: He has been training on an edge. We know he can play in the middle. The biggest thing on an edge is defending. Your fourth man is the pillar of your defence. We do want to have a look at him on an edge. We have injuries to Ray and Matt Doorey but at the moment he will spend time on an edge.
Q: How much of a help has Phil Gould been for you?
A: He has given direction to the whole club. He is the smartest person I know in rugby league. He has seen the good and bad over the last 30 or 40 years. He has been helpful for me in terms of taking a lot of the workload off in dealing with managers, media and administrative tasks. I was getting caught up in that which I would’ve liked to have avoided. He is helpful for the club but also all our coaches. He is a good sounding board to have. (Ex-All Blacks coach) Steve Hansen is there as well. Gus and Steve are very different in a lot of ways but similar in ways too. Gus wants to win. Everything he does are for the right reasons. He knows this is going to be a long-term fix. When we do fix it, we want it fixed for good.
Q: What’s Steve’s role going forward?
A: He is a consultant and an ear for all our coaches. He is an ear for Josh Jackson. He doesn’t mince his words and doesn’t talk a lot. Steve and Gus have different strengths which makes them a good foil for us. They are two unique people and we’re very lucky to have them here,
Q: You’ve added some real superstars for 2023 in Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau. What attracted you to them?
A: Reed is still very young and someone we think we can build our club around. Jeremy Marshall-King is here and doing really well but we are going to need two hookers. What struck me about Reed is his professionalism and how good of a person he is. I’ve never heard a bad word said about him. He is a competitor. He epitomises the team we want to be – he is a tough little bugger who competes. It’s what we need. Kiks is a luxury. We all know how good he is. He is the best backrower in the game. We are starting to put pieces of the puzzle together. They are still 12 months away. We need to make sure when they are here the place is in good shape.
