'Let the club down': Bulldogs on chopping block, says Georgallis
Dan Walsh
NRL.com Reporter
Sun 23 Aug 2020, 05:09 PM
Interim coach Steve Georgallis will swing the selection axe on Bulldogs players that "let the club down" in a dire 20-14 loss to the Warriors that leaves him scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon.
Georgallis didn't mince words after Canterbury were run down by the nomadic New Zealanders, promising changes for next Sunday's trip to Canberra.
Queensland Origin prop Dylan Napa will return from suspension while a recall for dropped Kiwi Test captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and backline shake-up also loom given Canterbury's edge defence issues were the source of three Warriors tries in the second half.
The Bulldogs had been making steady improvements for the most part since Georgallis took over following Dean Pay's mid-season exit, but Sunday's fade-out had the affable temporary coach fuming.
"They hung in that game the Warriors and we handed it to them, in the second half [there were] poor defensive reads, poor kicking game, a lack of direction. We just talked about it then [in the dressing room]. I said 'we've got five weeks left to get off the bottom of the table. And I'm going to pick a team that's going to try and do that. There will be a few changes this week. I'm not giving up. I told them I didn't want them to give up even though we didn't play very well in that second half."
Georgallis will make his team selections based on Monday's video review sessions.
But his initial post-game assessment was a sobering one for his squad, particularly with the likes of Kieran Foran, Aiden Tolman, Jack Cogger and Kerrod Holland still without contracts next season.
"We've put a lot of work into or attack and defence the last four or five weeks, I saw a progression of learning, they were doing what they needed to do to put themselves in the game and be competitive. I didn't see that today. That's the most disappointing thing. They've let themselves down, they've let the club down. That game was there for the taking. That first 40 minutes was probably the best 40 we've played for a few weeks. Then to come up with a that second half and leak three tries down that left side was really disappointing." Georgallis said.
Dan Walsh
NRL.com Reporter
Sun 23 Aug 2020, 05:09 PM
Interim coach Steve Georgallis will swing the selection axe on Bulldogs players that "let the club down" in a dire 20-14 loss to the Warriors that leaves him scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon.
Georgallis didn't mince words after Canterbury were run down by the nomadic New Zealanders, promising changes for next Sunday's trip to Canberra.
Queensland Origin prop Dylan Napa will return from suspension while a recall for dropped Kiwi Test captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and backline shake-up also loom given Canterbury's edge defence issues were the source of three Warriors tries in the second half.
The Bulldogs had been making steady improvements for the most part since Georgallis took over following Dean Pay's mid-season exit, but Sunday's fade-out had the affable temporary coach fuming.
"They hung in that game the Warriors and we handed it to them, in the second half [there were] poor defensive reads, poor kicking game, a lack of direction. We just talked about it then [in the dressing room]. I said 'we've got five weeks left to get off the bottom of the table. And I'm going to pick a team that's going to try and do that. There will be a few changes this week. I'm not giving up. I told them I didn't want them to give up even though we didn't play very well in that second half."
Georgallis will make his team selections based on Monday's video review sessions.
But his initial post-game assessment was a sobering one for his squad, particularly with the likes of Kieran Foran, Aiden Tolman, Jack Cogger and Kerrod Holland still without contracts next season.
"We've put a lot of work into or attack and defence the last four or five weeks, I saw a progression of learning, they were doing what they needed to do to put themselves in the game and be competitive. I didn't see that today. That's the most disappointing thing. They've let themselves down, they've let the club down. That game was there for the taking. That first 40 minutes was probably the best 40 we've played for a few weeks. Then to come up with a that second half and leak three tries down that left side was really disappointing." Georgallis said.
