Following a tight win over the Belconnen Sharks last week, Goulburn Workers Bulldogs coach Adam Kyle described what his players need to work on ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Gungahlin Bulls.
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Although Kyle was pleased that the Bulldogs were able to emerge from a tough scrap against the Sharks, which they won 30 – 24, there were several areas in need of improvement.
“Goalkicking is such an important thing, I think we outscored them six tries to three on the day but the game was relatively close due to [poor] goal kicking,” Kyle said.
“Gameplay kicking was really poor on the weekend, its something our halves have done a lot of work on this week and will continue to work at.”
Despite some flaws in the way the team functioned, Kyle said that it was common to see such rustiness early in the season, and was still extremely pleased with the fighting qualities the Bulldogs showed.
“I was really happy, I guess with the effort and the application at the game,” he said.
“It was 29 degrees and the first game of the season, so obviously there was a lot of rust for both teams, but our ability to work as a team and stick to our structure really impressed me.
“[And] our ability to keep pushing hard when Belconnen fell away.”
The Bulldogs’ next game will be against the Gungahlin Bulls, and it be played at GIO Stadium as a curtain raiser for the Canberra Raiders, who are set to play the Parramatta Eels.
Playing on a big stage in front of a sizable crowd is a daunting task, however Kyle said that his squad is so young that they will likely be more excited than nervous.
“We’ve got a pretty young side so I’m not sure whether they’ll feel pressure or not, or more excitement,” Kyle said.
As it is so early in the season, Kyle has decided that it is best for the team not to set long-term goals, and instead focus on the four weeks in front of them.
“We haven’t really talked about season goals,” he said. “If you look to put those things in place too early it can be a let-down if you don’t succeed.
“[We’re] just trying to accrue as many points as we can, it’s probably going to take six or seven games to hit our straps.
“Obviously semi-final football is the goal for everyone at the start of the season.
“Attitude and work ethic are probably gonna get us home, our biggest hurdles will be ourselves.”
The Bulldogs’ match against the Bulls will take place on April 14 from 5:15pm at GIO Stadium.