Inside Critta's leadership evolution as Bulldogs eye statement win

Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has revealed the club's early-season struggles helped him evolve as a leader as he looks to guide the side to an unexpected finals berth.

Canterbury may be riding a wave of momentum with six wins from their past seven games, but it wasn't always so as the club battled a disappointing start to the year. 

The Bulldogs slumped to 14th on the ladder after 13 rounds, as a perfect storm of injuries and rule changes combined to send the team's campaign off course. 

Crichton was among the group to spend time on the sidelines but has made up for lost time as Canterbury have surged into the eight leading into Friday's blockbuster against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.

It was an unfamiliar position for the captain to find himself in, with Crichton winning three titles at the Panthers before leading the Bulldogs to the finals in his first two years at the club. 

Looking back, the skipper acknowledges it was a challenging start to the year but is confident he's come out the other side a better leader. 

"It's always tough when you're losing and people are expecting wins," Crichton said. "The last couple of years we built that expectation, which is a good thing. 

"For our boys learning through that period, it was about consistency and we probably lacked focus on our team values and it drifted into what we were doing on the field and things off the field as well. 

"I set that straight and went back to the things that as Bulldogs players we want to look like and fixed it up in that sense."

The Bulldogs defeated Melbourne last week to climb into the eight for the first time since Round 6 and set up Friday's showdown with the Roosters. 

A big crowd is expected at Allianz Stadium for the Indigenous Round clash between two competition heavyweights.

Crichton's leadership throughout the season has caught the attention of observers both inside and outside the club, with many writing the Bulldogs off just a couple of months ago.

Former skipper Andrew Ryan has watched Crichton closely throughout the past couple of seasons and said it quickly became clear the 25-year-old is a natural leader.

"I've been able to watch him for a long time, specifically at the Bulldogs and you can see the energy and expectation he brings to the team," Ryan told NRL.com. "It's a team that has high standards on the field and he drives that off the field and at training. 

"When he comes up with those plays on the field, whether it be defensively or in attack, he's a player that just lifts his team. You can see what it does for him and that impact on the guys around him."

While many fans gave up hope on the Bulldogs finals chances, Crichton revealed he never lost faith in the team's ability to turn their season around. 

Crichton's positional switch has been well publicised, but there have been plenty of other factors in the recovery. 

The return of back-rowers Jacob Preston and Viliame Kikau has added a new dynamic on both sides of the ball, while the Bulldogs have adapted to the increased pace of play this season.

The team's defensive improvement has been dramatic. After conceding an average of 26 points a game in their first 12 matches, they have conceded just 10 points a game in their past six victories. 

While the change on the field has been significant, Crichton said the shift internally has been more subtle. 

"Looking back, the conversations we have now are the same conversations we were having back then," Crichton said. "It's about building at training, confidence comes from preparation.

"We knew in our four walls that even though we were losing we could string some wins together. Now we've turned it around, no one remembers the start of the year. Credit to Ciro and our other leaders for keeping the boys nice and tight and having some confidence to string some wins together."

Friday's match comes 22 years after the Bulldogs last won a premiership, when Ryan captained the side to a 16-13 victory over the Roosters in the 2004 grand final.

More than two decades have passed, but the club continues to build their success on a defensive foundation. 

Ryan can see the similarities between the two sides and is confident Crichton can lead the current squad deep into September. 

"There was so much noise around this team six weeks ago, that they were going to miss out on the finals," Ryan said. "To put all that noise to the side and concentrate on what they can control, they've shown some real toughness to get through that period. 

"Since Cameron's come in, defence has been the focus and they've hung their hat on that. When they're defending well and coming up with the try-saving tackles, they will win a lot of footy games."

Don't miss a minute of the action when the in-form Bulldogs face the high-flying Roosters in a Friday-night blockbuster at Allianz Stadium. Tickets are selling fast, click here to secure your seats before they are all gone.