At some point in the coming weeks, the Canterbury Bulldogs are going to have to find a way to start games a whole lot better than they have been.
That's the unfortunate truth smacking the table-toppers in the face after Cameron Ciraldo's side floundered their way to a shocking 44 points to 8 defeat at the hands of the Dolphins on Thursday evening.
On one foot, you'd be foolish to take too much from that game as an isolated incident.
It was well publicised prior to kick-off that the Bulldogs had 11 of their Top 30 unavailable, whether it be to State of Origin selection, suspension, or injury.
The weather was also diabolical, raining heavily throughout the game and during the day leading into it. The surface underfoot was slippery, the ball was a bar of soap, and control was nearly impossible - or so it looked until the Dolphins managed to skip away with the game as if it were a dry Sunday afternoon in Redcliffe.
But on the other foot, Bulldogs fans will be hoping Ciraldo and his coaching staff have taken something away from not just that game, but the other events of recent weeks.
Because the Bulldogs have forgotten how to start games.
And it's not as if it's a skill they never had.
It wasn't until Round 8 on a horror Thursday night against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp that they didn't score first in a game this season.
Up to that point, whether commanding or not, the Bulldogs had been the first team on the scoresheet, and with their defensive attitude and ability, it made it exceptionally tricky for teams to peg them back.
Even in recent seasons when Canterbury haven't been going quite as well as they are this year, their defence was there. It's something Cameron Ciraldo and director of footy Phil Gould have instilled in the club from the top down, and it would be a tricky thing to say it's not working.
But I digress. That Brisbane game was the first, but certainly not the last time the Belmore-based outfit haven't started a game well enough.
In Brisbane, they conceded six tries in half an hour, going on to lose 42 points to 18, and while they recovered the ability against the Gold Coast Titans at Magic Round, scoring the first two tries before winning 38 points to 18, that is a blip on the radar in the last month.
Round 10 saw the Bulldogs away from home in Canberra and down 20 points to nil at halftime before using an attacking, inspired performance to run over the top of the Green Machine 32 points to 20, and they were then held to nil again last weekend against the Sydney Roosters, going into the sheds 14-0 down before winning 24-20.
Again, you can't take too much from Thursday night's clash with the Dolphins, but the bottom line is they were down 14 points to 18 at halftime and conceded the first try.
More worrying was that they started the game with a penalty and an error.
Intensity?
Maybe, but it's no good if that intensity and effort is guided into all the wrong places and winds up costing the footy team more than it gains them.
If you were to combine the halftime scores for the Bulldogs across the last five games, they are trailing 90 points to 22.
That is a record which needs to be addressed, and quickly, if the Bulldogs really consider themselves as finals contenders.
As we approach the halfway point of the season, the men in blue and white need to get back to where they were at the start of the season when it comes to starting games - that is, guided intensity, patience, and strong defence.
Injuries and suspensions are an excuse, but no more of an excuse than they could be for other clubs, and they certainly won't be an excuse when the season gets to the pointy end.
There isn't one clear issue the Bulldogs could put their finger on and fix their starts with, but the stats are alarming, and the longer it goes on, the more they will be likely to continue misguiding effort which will only wind up in the record getting worse.
Their defence in the final 20 minutes of the game against the Dolphins on Thursday is a cause for concern as well, but ultimately, not to the level their starts are.
You simply can't afford to find yourself behind every week, and certainly not when we get to September and they are taking on the big guns in knockout rugby league.
Canterbury are a finals team.
Of that there can be no doubt.
Whether they can turn themselves from a top eight team into a premiership contender though remains to be seen, and the way they respond over the coming weeks to the adversity around the way they are starting games will be extremely telling.
