3 months ago
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How about Sunday’s star of the show Adam Doueihi. Do you think he didn’t have a point to prove after personally emailing the Bulldogs last year to offer his services as a playmaker?
Doueihi showed the Bulldogs that he was a quality halves option he declared he could be with an inspired performance to lead the Tigers to victory. That’s as good as a “khawd” as you will get.
Samuela Fainu gives Bulldogs fans a ‘khawd’ at CommBank Stadium.Credit: Getty Images
It wasn’t only the Bulldogs that Doueihi sent a message to. He sent a message to Tigers powerbrokers who are refusing to budge on a contract extension worth $350,000 a season, running the risk of losing Doueihi to St George Illawarra who have a more lucrative two-year deal on the table.
The concern has always been his body after repeated ACL injuries. His 90-metre dash to score in the opening half suggested pace doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue.
Then there’s Cameron Ciraldo, the Bulldogs coach who didn’t want to join the Tigers despite a year-long pursuit of his services which culminated in a five-year deal being offered after the unsuccessful Michael Maguire era.
In the background Phil Gould was doing Phil Gould things, enticing Ciraldo to Belmore in a major coup for the Bulldogs. The Tigers ultimately handed the keys to Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall due to a lack of quality alternatives.
Bulldogs head coach Cameron Ciraldo at Belmore Sportsground.Credit: Louie Douvis
Then there’s the saga surrounding Jarome Luai. Despite denials from Gould last week, Luai was on the verge of joining the Bulldogs 18 months ago.
Canterbury powerbrokers had messages from Luai indicating that he was going to join the club before an 11th hour bid from the Tigers to lure him to Tiger Town.
Before Luai announced his decision to sign with the Tigers, his management called the Bulldogs to inform them that his client had made a decision and would announce it at a press conference. They didn’t inform them what that decision was in fear they would sabotage the announcement.
Clearly, judging by Brent Naden’s antics during and after the game, there’s ill-feeling from him towards his old club as well, but it pales into insignificance compared to the Galvin saga.
Lachlan Galvin and Jarome Luai after Sunday’s match.Credit: NRL Photos
He was booed with every touch, despite chairman Barry O’Farrell’s pleading with his fans not to go after the young defector.
The Tigers have long been seen as the laughingstock of the league. For some time they’ve enjoyed the company of the Bulldogs in that category.
To see Canterbury elevate themselves to a premiership-contending level during the past two years while they are trying to avoid another wooden spoon would eat away at long-suffering Tigers fans and players.
It made Sunday’s win all that sweeter. Tigers players can say what they like after full-time, playing down the hype and emotion by declaring it just another week. This was their grand final.
Brent Naden gives another “khawd″ after the game.
We saw what it really meant when Luai stood over the top of Galvin after a tackle shouting at him.
It was followed by a cheeky dig from the Wests Tigers social media team who captioned their victory on social media with “team first” - the same words posted by Luai when Galvin rejected the Tigers’ offer a few months ago.
We saw what it really meant when Fainu scored the last try and Tigers players gestured “khawd” - the Arab equivalent of flipping the middle finger - to the Canterbury faithful.
And we saw what it meant to the Tigers fans when Galvin was unable to get his hands on a Stephen Crichton pass right in front of the parochial supporters who gave him their own version of “khawd” as the reality of the Tigers win set in.
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Just another week? If the Tigers played with that much passion every week they wouldn’t be in the predicament they are in.
The Bulldogs may go on to lift the trophy at the end of the year. For now, the Lachlan Galvin Cup means more. Enjoy, Tigers fans.
