Will retain goalkicking duties…Michael Ennis. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
BULLDOGS coach Kevin Moore will persist with Michael Ennis as the club’s first-choice goalkicker – and not bring Brett Kimmorley out of goal-kicking retirement – despite the hooker failing to land one two-pointer on Saturday night.
Just how much former club legend Hazem El Masri and his golden boot will be missed this year hit home when the Dogs crashed to a shock opening-round loss against Newcastle by two goals.
Ennis has kicked over 100 goals in his career but missed all four attempts on Saturday and has the pressure of replacing the greatest sharpshooter of all time.
Kimmorley has kicked 195 career goals while new recruit Steve Turner is no slouch with the boot.
But Moore is more than happy to stick with Ennis and said there was no point reminiscing about El Masri. He even quipped at the post-match press conference that if Ennis had slotted all four goals, fans would be asking, ‘Hazem who?”‘
“Michael was always going to be our first choice because he’s more experienced than anybody else at the club,” Moore said.
“He’s kicked over 100 goals. I don’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions.
“I also thought they were pretty hard kicks.
“I think the main reason we lost is because [from] 1-17 they individually competed better than us.”
Tags:Bulldogs, Hazem El masri, Knights, Michael Ennis