As keen as Des Hasler is on ignoring history there will be no complaints from the Canterbury coach if he repeats it.
For just the fourth time in the Bulldogs’ 77-year history they have strung nine successive wins together after their 32-18 NRL defeat of North Queensland on Saturday.
Two of the three other times the Bulldogs have managed the feat they made the grand final.
In 1994 they managed nine straight wins on their way to winning the minor premiership before eventually falling to Canberra in the decider.
They managed 10 victories in a row during the 2004 regular season before defeating the Sydney Roosters to win the premiership.
In 2002, the Bulldogs won 17 straight and were almost unbackable premiership favourites before being caught rorting the salary cap and getting deducted 37 premiership points.
Predictably Hasler is downplaying the Bulldogs’ impressive winning streak, during which they have defeated fellow top-eight teams the Cowboys, Manly, Wests Tigers, Melbourne, South Sydney and Cronulla.
“My definition of a benchmark, I’ve always maintained, is sides that have been there and done it,” Hasler said.
“You can’t get carried away. We’ve just got to keep learning.”
But North Queensland coach Neil Henry said the Bulldogs are the team to beat in the race for the 2012 premiership.
“Well winning so many in a row they are (favourites), and they’ve beat everyone so they’ll be there (finals), there’s no doubt,” said Henry.
“If they keep on their roll it’s going to take a good side to beat them.”
The Bulldogs sit on top the NRL ladder, and have emerged as strong favourites to take out the minor premiership in Hasler’s first year at the club.
But five-eighth Josh Reynolds was doing Hasler proud in playing down any hype surrounding the club.
“We have not talked about that (the minor premiership) once at training, you only hear about it in the paper,” he said.
“We are definitely not worried about it. If it comes it will be a massive bonus but we are just sticking to turning up each week switched on and thinking right.”
