Post by bazal on Aug 4, 2018 1:42:23 GMT
All North QLD have to do is beat last placed Cape Town and they will be the 2018 minor premiers.
It's a sentence that, had you gone back in time to the end of last season and uttered it in the company of Dolphins fans, would probably get you king-hit by a miner called Damo. So dire was the situation that it was widely joked star fullback Billy Slater would be forced into retirement with a back injury from carrying the rest of the North QLD squad.
Yet that's the reality of the season the Dolphins have had, a season that literally no-one came close to predicting. Even with one of the biggest squad overhauls in ASRL history, the Dolphins were still lacking quality halves and most considered that a weakness that would eventually rule them out as serious contenders. Fans were just happy to have a squad that looked competitive.
Of course, there are no guarantees in football, and the Gold Coast are breathing down the Dolphins neck just waiting for a stumble. The coach isn't too fussed about it all, though.
"I'm not even talking to the boys about the minor premiership. It's not on the radar for us. Obviously it'd be nice, but if we maintain our energy and keep winning it'll take care of itself. We've got to concentrate on not undoing all the good work with a poor performance against Cape Town leading into the finals, win or lose. If we play well and they happen to play better and GC take first place, so be it."
The coach, incidentally, is just as surprised by the season his charges have put in.
"It's been a whirlwind, honestly. I think I was sitting here halfway through the year agreeing with everyone who said we were probably a classy half short of being a genuine top side. We've probably been helped by the poor form of other sides, to an extent, but you've still got to win and we've found ways to do that. We knew we'd surprise a lot of people, but not to the extent that we were the front-runner for the minor premiership."
Earlier in the season, Bailey had been frustrated by his side's inability to put sides away, and gave them a very public dressing down after a dire 6-0 victory over Sydney. After the barest of wins (13-12) over Brisbane, the coach was far more relaxed.
"Where we were at when we beat Sydney for and against was really important. We were still in the nagative at that point and I really wanted the guys to realise what that could mean for our position on the ladder if we had a loss or two. At this end of the year it's just about winning. We had a few good wins, we got the for and against looking a bit better and we're lucky enough to have been entrenched in the six for a fortnight or so, so it doesn't matter anymore."
Dolphins fans have noted the change in attitude and approach of the side. In his first stint, Bailey's Dolphins were inconsistent but renowned for their ability to put a side to the sword. It was a rare season that the Dolphins didn't put 50+ past a couple of unfortunate opponents, and their supporters still fondly remember the day they scored over 80 in a single match.
Between the big wins, though, often came a string of close losses where the side struggled to get into gear. The 2018 Dolphins seem to have found a way to win those games, and much of that can be credited to the type of player Bailey has signed and fostered since his return. Players like Andrew McCullough, Clint Gutherson, Nathan Brown, Jesse Bromwich, as well as his previous junior signings Daniel Alvaro and Alex Twal, are tough players who never give in. That attitude has infused the side and given them a backbone they have lacked in previous years. Bailey, too, admits that he has changed his approach somewhat.
"I'd still love to be a side that can put 80 on someone, obviously. But I've also tried to instil a tougher approach than before. In footy you're always going to have days where things don't quite click and it's important to be able to still win those games. That's the attitude that I've been looking for. I looked at the side when I came back and sort of pulled everything apart to see what was missing and we realised that we had genuine point scoring potential already. A lot of coaches would jump at the chance to have guys like Marty Taupau, The Fox, Billy Slater in their side. Curtis Rona can sniff out a try too, even Ryan Morgan has become a big try scorer. What we lacked was the platform to use those guys and the kind of players to do the dirty work you don't want guys like Addo-Carr or Slater to be doing."
"I wanted to take that high energy footy from the Dolphins of old and bring it back in a more consistent way. Nathan Brown was my number one priority signing and I reckon we got him for a steal, and that set up a situation where we could get the kind of hard-working high energy guys we wanted and still nab strike power like Leilua and Hurrell."
It's a strategy that has paid serious dividends for the Dolphins this season. On the streets of Townsville, there is a quiet optimism. A sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, the dark days are behind them. Some are even daring to mention the P-word, in hushed tones in bars all over the state's north. And why shouldn't they? The Dolphins have proven they are a serious contender, halves issues or no.
The coach isn't having any of it, though.
"It's the oldest cliche in footy, isn't it? Take it one week at a time. One stumble and it's all over, and we've been there before. I've been coach of the team that peaked early and went out meekly, and I've been the loser on the last day of the season as a huge favourite against a supposedly uncoached side. Anything can happen in finals footy, especially now it looks like Adelaide and Auckland will make it into the six. If any side can win from the bottom of the six it's one of those two. Keep winning. That's it."
Fans, too, remember the missed chances. The lost grand final. The top six season followed by the second last placed finish. This season could just as easily be another disappointment to many. Given where they've come from, though, it would take a pretty harsh judge...
It's a sentence that, had you gone back in time to the end of last season and uttered it in the company of Dolphins fans, would probably get you king-hit by a miner called Damo. So dire was the situation that it was widely joked star fullback Billy Slater would be forced into retirement with a back injury from carrying the rest of the North QLD squad.
Yet that's the reality of the season the Dolphins have had, a season that literally no-one came close to predicting. Even with one of the biggest squad overhauls in ASRL history, the Dolphins were still lacking quality halves and most considered that a weakness that would eventually rule them out as serious contenders. Fans were just happy to have a squad that looked competitive.
Of course, there are no guarantees in football, and the Gold Coast are breathing down the Dolphins neck just waiting for a stumble. The coach isn't too fussed about it all, though.
"I'm not even talking to the boys about the minor premiership. It's not on the radar for us. Obviously it'd be nice, but if we maintain our energy and keep winning it'll take care of itself. We've got to concentrate on not undoing all the good work with a poor performance against Cape Town leading into the finals, win or lose. If we play well and they happen to play better and GC take first place, so be it."
The coach, incidentally, is just as surprised by the season his charges have put in.
"It's been a whirlwind, honestly. I think I was sitting here halfway through the year agreeing with everyone who said we were probably a classy half short of being a genuine top side. We've probably been helped by the poor form of other sides, to an extent, but you've still got to win and we've found ways to do that. We knew we'd surprise a lot of people, but not to the extent that we were the front-runner for the minor premiership."
Earlier in the season, Bailey had been frustrated by his side's inability to put sides away, and gave them a very public dressing down after a dire 6-0 victory over Sydney. After the barest of wins (13-12) over Brisbane, the coach was far more relaxed.
"Where we were at when we beat Sydney for and against was really important. We were still in the nagative at that point and I really wanted the guys to realise what that could mean for our position on the ladder if we had a loss or two. At this end of the year it's just about winning. We had a few good wins, we got the for and against looking a bit better and we're lucky enough to have been entrenched in the six for a fortnight or so, so it doesn't matter anymore."
Dolphins fans have noted the change in attitude and approach of the side. In his first stint, Bailey's Dolphins were inconsistent but renowned for their ability to put a side to the sword. It was a rare season that the Dolphins didn't put 50+ past a couple of unfortunate opponents, and their supporters still fondly remember the day they scored over 80 in a single match.
Between the big wins, though, often came a string of close losses where the side struggled to get into gear. The 2018 Dolphins seem to have found a way to win those games, and much of that can be credited to the type of player Bailey has signed and fostered since his return. Players like Andrew McCullough, Clint Gutherson, Nathan Brown, Jesse Bromwich, as well as his previous junior signings Daniel Alvaro and Alex Twal, are tough players who never give in. That attitude has infused the side and given them a backbone they have lacked in previous years. Bailey, too, admits that he has changed his approach somewhat.
"I'd still love to be a side that can put 80 on someone, obviously. But I've also tried to instil a tougher approach than before. In footy you're always going to have days where things don't quite click and it's important to be able to still win those games. That's the attitude that I've been looking for. I looked at the side when I came back and sort of pulled everything apart to see what was missing and we realised that we had genuine point scoring potential already. A lot of coaches would jump at the chance to have guys like Marty Taupau, The Fox, Billy Slater in their side. Curtis Rona can sniff out a try too, even Ryan Morgan has become a big try scorer. What we lacked was the platform to use those guys and the kind of players to do the dirty work you don't want guys like Addo-Carr or Slater to be doing."
"I wanted to take that high energy footy from the Dolphins of old and bring it back in a more consistent way. Nathan Brown was my number one priority signing and I reckon we got him for a steal, and that set up a situation where we could get the kind of hard-working high energy guys we wanted and still nab strike power like Leilua and Hurrell."
It's a strategy that has paid serious dividends for the Dolphins this season. On the streets of Townsville, there is a quiet optimism. A sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, the dark days are behind them. Some are even daring to mention the P-word, in hushed tones in bars all over the state's north. And why shouldn't they? The Dolphins have proven they are a serious contender, halves issues or no.
The coach isn't having any of it, though.
"It's the oldest cliche in footy, isn't it? Take it one week at a time. One stumble and it's all over, and we've been there before. I've been coach of the team that peaked early and went out meekly, and I've been the loser on the last day of the season as a huge favourite against a supposedly uncoached side. Anything can happen in finals footy, especially now it looks like Adelaide and Auckland will make it into the six. If any side can win from the bottom of the six it's one of those two. Keep winning. That's it."
Fans, too, remember the missed chances. The lost grand final. The top six season followed by the second last placed finish. This season could just as easily be another disappointment to many. Given where they've come from, though, it would take a pretty harsh judge...
