2020 Stat Improvements: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Dogs showed a late revitalization in 2019, however if they are to aim for a Top 8 finish in 2020, Canterbury need to enforce defensive efforts to significantly cut opposition metres gained.

Picture Above: A tired and out-of-form Bulldogs outfit allows Parramatta to cruise over in a 34-14 win (Source: Daily Telegraph)

Canterbury gave up the most metres in 2019, with 41,622 overall metres and 12,288 post-contact metres gained by opposing teams.

The Dogs were stout in their try-line protection, ranking seventh in the competition for tries conceded, however fatigue from allowing the opposition to gain such metres charging upfield would no doubt have impacted their performance.

With such a large number of post-contact metres gained, it poses the idea that maybe Dean Pay's side wasn't strong enough in initial contact and defensive efforts, that they didn't have the numbers in the tackles and/or that their wrestle for the ball was poor, allowing ball-runners longer stints with high momentum upon impact.

These numbers, alongside such high overall metres conceded, suggest teams could easily move into their attacking half against the Dogs.

This is further backed up as Canterbury ranked 12th overall for time in the opposition's half, at only 47.9%.

Alongside this, they had the least possession in the game, with only 48%.

Being constantly on the back burner and allowing teams to gain high metres and have more possession, it is no wonder the Dogs pulled together a season-low of 326 points.

If in 2020, the Bulldogs can limit the opposition's metres and create more possession for themselves in the opposition's half, their success rate is bound to be much higher.