BATHURST Bulldogs are on a mission to upset the Orange Emus’ applecart as the clubs meet at Endeavour Oval for the final round of the Blowes Clothing Cup regular season.
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But if the Bulldogs want to take a bite out of the unbeaten greens’ confidence going into the finals then it’s going to take a markedly improved performance from what the Bathurst club produced last round.
The loss to Forbes Platypi has given the Bulldogs plenty to think about as they stare down the barrel of a finals campaign filled only with sudden death fixtures.
Bulldogs co-coach Nathan Pearce said his side have what it takes to take down the hosts, but only if the lessons from last week are taken on board.
“This is the sort of team who I feel tend to perform better when their necks are on the chopping block, and that’s what’s happening right now,” he said.
“We really need to have a strong game against Emus. They’re sitting right up there at the top of the ladder, for a good reason, so we need to turn things around from the match against Forbes, which was a big disappointment.
“I spoke to the guys at training and said to them that the things that matter most to us in life are the things that we have to fight the hardest for. That’s what they need to do now, just like they did last year when they got within one match of the grand final.”
Pearce’s men went down 29-15 to the Emus earlier this season in a match where the greens’ defensive strength was on full display at Ashwood Park.
A top three finish appears unlikely for the Bulldogs but it’s not impossible.
Bulldogs need to not only shock the Emus but another result must fall their way.
Cowra Eagles would need to stun the Kangaroos or the Dubbo men would have to claim a win without a bonus point.
However, Pearce is already resigned to fact his side will enter the finals in fourth.
“Realistically the result of this weekend’s match won’t count for anything on the ladder but psychologically a win would mean so much for us,” he said.
“I know that [coach] Paul Ringland is very happy with the way Emus are going at the moment. They’ve changed a few players around but they’ve found a structure that’s working really well for them.
“We’ve got to play through a difficult channel for the finals so we need a good match here to give us confidence for that.
“It’s great though that we’ve managed to wrap the club championship up with a week still to go.”
Bulldogs will have to go the rest of the season without Josh Oxley after his rib injury against the Platypi. Brad Glasson moves from fullback into the halves to cover for him.
The match at Endeavour Oval starts from 3.15pm.