As Canterbury celebrated a third straight victory in the bowels of ANZ Stadium, a couple of players chanted "sign him up, sign him up".
They were shouting about Josh Reynolds. Change is supposedly on the horizon at Belmore but surely their inspirational five-eighth will be staying put.
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Josh Reynolds was at his determined best as the Bulldogs kept the South Sydney Rabbitohs scoreless in the second half for a 24-9 win.
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Josh Reynolds stars as Bulldogs defeat Souths
Josh Reynolds was at his determined best as the Bulldogs kept the South Sydney Rabbitohs scoreless in the second half for a 24-9 win.
Before a crowd of 35,984 on Good Friday, Des Hasler's men pulled away from the Rabbitohs by 15 points with three tries in the final 17 minutes as an electric Reynolds led the way with a try, a hand in another and a try-saving tackle that was the turning point of the match.
The performance of Reynolds, off contract at Canterbury, was summed up by the desperation he and Brett Morris showed in dragging down South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds just centimetres short of the try line in the second half.
If there was a salary cap for perseverance and desire, then Canterbury would have to self-report to the NRL just for Reynolds.Â
"They're the things I try to make sure I have in my game," Reynolds said. "They're the things we pride ourselves on. It just shows the will and the fight that we do have inbuilt in us."
All is not suddenly peaches and cream at the Bulldogs but things are certainly on the up. They are in the top eight and the debacle of Lottoland last month is well and truly in the rearview mirror.
There is still a sense, though, that major change is coming.
Hasler is staying put, but who else is? The names of half a dozen Bulldogs have been floated as having been shopped around as they have simultaneously pursued James Tedesco and Aaron Woods. Chief among them is their captain James Graham, who had the bizarre experience this week of sitting on a television show panel alongside a guy, Woods, who could well end up replacing him.
If that was out of the box then so was the attempted set-piece that came unstuck with Graham's pass into touch in the last minute of the first half on Sunday. Adam Reynolds wheeled back from the resulting scrum and plonked a field goal over the crossbar that edged the Rabbitohs in front until the Bulldogs broke free of the arm wrestle in the last quarter.
The Englishman would redeem himself later with a neat ball that sent Brett Morris streaking away in the closing stages and led ultimately to Kerrod Holland's match-clinching try in the corner.Â
Like Graham, the future of Reynolds at Canterbury remains uncertain amid suggestions of a squad overhaul. He is in negotiations for a new deal and this display did that cause no harm at all.Â
"That's the type of player he is. He's a big part of what we're about," Hasler said. "His brand is pretty important because that's how the side plays."Â
As for the club's position on re-signing Reynolds, Hasler replied: "We're in negotiations with the young man. It's very positive and things are progressing. You should go and talk to the NRL and ask them to give us a salary cap. That would make things a whole lot easier."
Reynolds was responsible for letting Souths fullback Alex Johnston bolt 50 metres for the first try of the game. He made amends, though, four minutes later, pouncing on his own kick into the in-goal at the feet of an unsuspecting Johnston. As the sun began to set above ANZ Stadium it was daylight robbery.
By then he had a new halves partner. If change is in the air, there was a possible pointer to the future as Hasler switched Moses Mbye to hooker before half-time, taking Michael Lichaa off to accommodate the steady head of rookie Matt Frawley. Lichaa didn't get back. He is one Bulldog who may well be on the way out.
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