Trent Barrett suspects Adam Elliott will have a point to prove when the Canberra utility lines up against the Bulldogs for the first time since being shown the door at Belmore last September.
But Elliott is the least of Barrett’s concerns as Canterbury bid to tick another small box after breaking through for their first NRL win in seven matches with last week’s dogged victory over the Sydney Roosters.
The Bulldogs haven’t won successive matches in the same season since 2019 and that’s Barrett’s latest goal entering Friday night’s clash with the Raiders in Canberra.
“We haven’t won back-to-back games for a while. So that’s really important to us; to go down there and not only get a result but to perform well,” Barrett said on Wednesday.
“Look, we’ve got to back it up. If we want to propel ourselves up the table, we need to string back-to-back games together.
“Canberra in Canberra is always a challenge, a tough road trip, but we just need to put in a similar effort to last week.”
The Bulldogs sacked Elliott after a string of off-field offences, starting with his infamous Mad Monday celebrations in 2018, then the forward’s fight with former teammate Michael Lichaa before the 2021 season.
The club finally ran out of patience after Elliott was kicked out of a Gold Coast restaurant after being caught in the toilets with his NRLW star and now-girlfriend Millie Boyle last August.
The 27-year-old has revived his career in the nation’s capital, even surprisingly emerging as a dummy-half for Canberra coach Ricky Stuart.
Barrett knows Elliott will be plotting to come back to bite the Dogs at GIO Stadium.
“He won’t say it but I guess he will have a point to prove,” he said.
“He’s doing a good job for them. He’s a footballer, Adam, so he can play a number of positions.
“So he’s one of many good players that we’re going to have to look after and we’re going to have to go down there with a really good attitude.
“We’re not too concerned about what they’re doing. More concerned with what we do.”
Welcoming back skipper Josh Jackson and winger Brent Naden following brushes with COVID-19, the coach doesn’t expect complacency to be an issue for his 15th-placed Bulldogs against the 14th-placed Raiders.
“We’re certainly not in a position (for that). We’re still improving ourselves,” Barrett said.
“We’ve got to find that motivation again this week. It’s their 40th year anniversary (in Canberra) and (Jarrod) Croker’s back as well so they’ve got a fair bit of motivation to play well.
“We’re going to have to be up for it.”
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