COMPLETION RATES.
It has become a catch-cry of modern day rugby league.
Players strive for them, coaches demand them and ultimately a team’s success is determined by them.
If the Cootamundra Bulldogs are to
feature in this year’s Group Nine semi final series and then be a genuine force in them, they must make completion rates their mantra for the remainder of the season.
The Bulldogs travel to Willow Park Junee on Sunday for a battle with the Diesels that could have a huge impact on their finals aspirations.
Les Boyd’s men found themselves in a unique situation last week.
Without having to don a boot, the Bulldogs jumped from eighth to sixth
courtesy of a bye and other results going their way.
A poor performance on Sunday and the Bulldogs could slip back down the ladder, their hopes of featuring in the end of season action severely dented.
High on the agenda for the Bulldogs will be their completion rate.
The ability to plough through early
tackles and get to a kick.
Pin the Diesels down deep in their own half and apply pressure through their defence.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it must be effective.
The Newcastle Knights gave a perfect example of the importance of completion rates in their shock win over Manly on Monday night.
By the end of the first half, the Knights had completed 16 of 17 sets and took a 22-6 lead into the break, a lead the Sea Eagles couldn’t peg back in the second stanza.
The Bulldogs have a number of kicking options available to them.
Five-eighth Aaron Byrne can position himself behind the ruck, opening up his options as to which corner to reef the ball towards.
Like all good kickers, Byrne often leads the chase, however it’s the ability of his teammates to join him in a united line that makes a kick even more effective.
Hooker Nathan Corby is cunning out of dummy half.
Any sign of laziness from an opposition marker and Corby will take one step to the side and launch the ball downfield with his left boot in the search for a 40/20.
In their most recent outing against Southcity, the Bulldogs limited their errors in the opening half and had the game in the bag at the interval.
Their second 40 was a stark contrast and you could almost count on one hand the number of times the referee raised his arm to indicate the Bulldogs made it to the fifth tackle.
Perhaps it was an over-enthusiasm to put their opponents to the sword and score as many points as possible to boost their
percentage, however against better sides, the Bulldogs simply can’t afford to be so ineffective with the ball.
The Bulldogs may not get a better time of the year to strike the Diesels.
Junee were left reeling last week when Damien Willis suffered a serious knee injury, the representative centre joining former NRL star Adam Perry on the
sidelines.
While the loss of two players of Willis and Perry’s calibre would impact any team, the Diesels have a number of other game-breakers such as Sione Tonga, Jordan Walker, Sam Quinn, who returned from injury last week after breaking his jaw against the Bulldogs in the opening round, and former Coota stars Nathan McGowan and Willie Purcell.
It’s a clutch game for the Bulldogs,
but one that, if they can complete their completions they will also complete the next part of the semi finals puzzle.
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