Footscray was a regular winner in the first two months of the Victorian Rugby Union Dewar Shield season, but none of those victories came close to the significance of Saturday’s 31-20 upset over title contenders Melbourne University.
The jury was out on whether the Bulldogs could seriously threaten the top two sides, particularly after ladder leader Box Hill took them to the cleaners in a 77-0 whitewash only three weeks ago.
But they sent a loud and clear message that no longer should they be perceived as a team making up the numbers in the top four.
“We’ve always believed that if we get our full team on the park and complete what we train to do, we’re capable of beating anybody,” Bulldogs coach Justin Carroll said
. “It all just clicked into place on the day. It was a well-executed game of rugby by everybody. There wasn’t a weak player or a standout player on the park.”
It’s not all rosy for the Bulldogs, but they are owning up to the inconsistencies stifling their progress.
They need to get better at bringing their best stuff every week because a bad day for them has a tendency to turn into a horror show … their three defeats have come by an average of 55 points.
They need more resilience when the chips are down if they’re to be taken seriously as a contender – and they know that.
“Now the challenge is consistency,” Carroll said. “We’ve set ourselves a benchmark of how we know we can play and nothing less than that will be acceptable.”
The Bulldogs ran in four tries to Uni’s three and their dominance at the scrum was a significant factor in the result. Barnstorming Frank Amituanai capped a best-afield performance with two tries.
“He bent the line every time and got us on the front foot,” Carroll said.
Ikuna Tukuafu had another fearless game and has the bruises to show for it.
“He was a battered mess at the end,” Carroll said. “He has a busted shoulder, elbow and two bad knees, but he keeps going and going.”
Junior Moananu put the polish on the victory with two tries, while Shane Imo and Martin Naufahu were superb in defence.
“We just stuck to our structures and got pay dirt every time,” Carroll said.
The Bulldogs will face Moorabbin under lights at Keys Road Reserve on Friday night.
Lance Jenkinson
