MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Stephen Crichton-led Bulldogs win at packed Belmore Sports Ground was a great NRL day

Nothing beats the atmosphere of a jam-packed suburban ground.

How good was it to see Belmore Sports Ground overflowing with blue and white on a Sunday afternoon in August?

You take the game to the people and the people will come.

I’ve got no doubt the fans helped get the Bulldogs across the line against the Raiders, who were fighting to keep their season alive.

It was a fantastic game and you don’t need to be Einstein to work out why.

The more noise, the better the game.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart agreed, even though his side lost. Ricky said he’d rather play in a hostile environment at Belmore than at a half-full stadium somewhere else.

Imagine if that game was played at the Bulldogs regular home ground, Accor Stadium.

A crowd of 18,000 there would leave 65,000 empty seats.

No thanks.

It’s why I believe the good old suburban ground will ALWAYS have a place in rugby league.

And it’s why I can’t wait for this Saturday night when the Bulldogs take on the Dragons at Kogarah.

This will be sold out days in advance. Two old rivals coming off great wins – bring it on!

The fans are excited because the Bulldogs haven’t played finals footy since 2016 and the Dragons not since 2018.

It’s great for the NRL to have these traditional old clubs getting back on top.

They’re both sitting in the top eight and the Dragons are coming off a huge upset win over the Storm.

I reckon they could fill Kogarah three times over for this game.

Who would have picked this as a blockbuster at the start of the year?

By round 23 both these teams are usually down at the travel agent booking their September holidays.

Now they’re about to play in one of the games of the season.

Because tickets will be in high demand, I’m expecting certain people to whinge about “locking out” the fans and how the NRL should take this game to a bigger venue, like Allianz Stadium.

I say – bad luck!

It’s a reward for Dragons members to get first crack at the tickets and fill the place in red and white.

They don’t deserve to lose home ground advantage just so the NRL can sell some more tickets. This game can’t all be about money.

We need to remember our traditions and the Dragons versus the Bulldogs at Kogarah will have the memories rushing back.

I used to love playing at suburban grounds.

Apart from Brookvale, my favourite venue was North Sydney Oval.

I loved playing there because the old North Sydney Bears fans hated us Manly players.

Yes, they had a gentle reputation but Bears supporters would produce their claws whenever the Sea Eagles lobbed at their precious little home ground.

They had very short in-goals at North Sydney Oval, and I would literally be pushing off the picket fence to take the first hit-up from kick-off.

If I was at the northern end of the ground, it meant I’d be starting my run from underneath the iconic Moreton Bay fig tree, which would have Bears fans literally sitting on the branches (no OHS concerns back then).

One day I was waiting for the kick-off when I felt it start to rain. Which was strange because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Then I realised these little bastards were spitting on me from the safety of the fig tree!

That just made me play harder, so that’s why I loved playing at North Sydney Oval, and we had some great wins there.

AND ANOTHER THING

I’ve been overcome with Olympics fever, so I’m going to hand out a few medals to the Best Buy of 2024 category.

BRONZE – DES HASLER (TITANS COACH)

His side started at 0-6 but look at them now! They blitzed the Broncos 46-18 and are a sneaky chance of playing finals footy.

No other coach would have survived such a bad start to the season, but the players are now believing in Des, and they’re not finished yet.

SILVER – NATHAN BROWN (SEA EAGLES FORWARD)

This guy started the year on a train and trial contract getting paid peanuts!

Now he’s a regular starter for Manly and was even named captain at one stage.

It’s a great comeback story for someone who was shown the door at the Eels and Roosters.

He’s added a fear factor to the Sea Eagles pack and the fans love him!

GOLD – STEPHEN CRICHTON (BULLDOGS CAPTAIN)

Crichton was sensational against the Raiders.

Not just his two solo tries, but his leadership was phenomenal.

Crichton was a great player at the Panthers, but he’s gone to another level at the Bulldogs.

Cameron Ciraldo should be congratulated for signing him and making him captain.

Crichton’s teammates hang off his every word and he’s brought a winner’s mentality to the club, which was badly needed.