Bulldogs coach Des Hasler has praised his side's character after they overcame the early loss of prop Sam Kasiano and half-back Kris Keating to record a 20-12 victory over his old club Manly at Brookvale Oval on Friday night.
Kasiano left the field inside 10 minutes after a head clash with Manly co-captain Jason King, while Keating's night ended with a torn hamstring in the 21st minute.
"We had to overcome a bit of adversity early, Sam Kasiano has a depressed cheekbone fracture so he'll be off for a couple of weeks and Kris Keating has a hamstring injury," Hasler said.
"We lost them particularly early too but it was great the way some of the players filled in.
"We had to overcome things and we did it well and I was particularly pleased against a side like this Manly side who are so well known for and so good at grinding out games.
"And we had to do that for large portions of that game and I just think that it's a really good experience for this young Bulldogs side and we were fortunate enough to come away with the points - but it is only Round 20."
The blockbuster clash marked Hasler's return to 'Fortress Brookvale' for the first time since his sudden departure from the Sea Eagles in October.
Several Manly fans gave Hasler a piece of their mind, however the eccentric coach played down the significance of his return.
"It wasn't anything out of the ordinary I don't think," Hasler said when asked to describe his reception from the Sea Eagles faithful.
"It was great to see a crowd like it turn up and watch a great game of footy.
"I thought the crowd was tremendous, they're very passionate and they have a great football side to follow.
"Manly are still running into their timing. They've still got one or two out. They'll be there at the end when the whips are cracking, I can guarantee you that."
While delighted to extend their NRL winning streak to eight games, Hasler is not getting carried away with his side's impressive form.
The win lifts the Bulldogs to top spot on the ladder, although Melbourne will regain first spot with a win over struggling Parramatta on Saturday night.
"There's still parts of our game that we can obviously work on," Hasler said.
"It is only Round 20. It was a rewarding experience that we got from playing a side - and I'm not being ridiculous when I say that you look at the side we played tonight and you look at the side south of the border (Melbourne), they've played in six grand finals.
"They're two of the best modern day sides and (it's) good confidence for us."
No comments:
Post a Comment