Josh Reynolds is used to people criticising Canterbury's attack, and in the past it might have gotten to him, but the Bulldogs playmaker says he doesn't let it affect him anymore.
The Bulldogs have struggled in recent weeks to apply attacking pressure on opposition teams, and as a result, they slipped from a top-four spot and a second chance in the Telstra Premiership Finals down to seventh and an elimination match against Penrith.
Reynolds said it was absurd for people to question Des Hasler's coaching methods, instead putting the blame squarely on his side's whopping 38 errors over the past three weeks.
The five-eighth said he would have been affected by outside noise in the past questioning his side's ability, but has learnt to block out the negativity.
"I hear from word of mouth but I don't buy into it anymore," he said.
"There's always going to be the bloke who's been a Bulldogs supporter for 30 years and he has a right to be passionate just like I've got a right to be passionate about playing on the field.
"People don't think what I do is right sometimes, but sometimes I don't think what they say is right. That's just how it is. You win one game and you're back sweet. People are allowed to have their say whether it's right or wrong.
"I'm brushing all that. It's semi-finals now and it's do-or-die. If we think about what's happened the last couple of weeks then the same thing will happen.
"Des is the coach, he sorts the structure and he's got a pretty good history in the game. He's done extremely well as a player and I think his stats speak for themselves as a coach.
"I trust what he delivers us, and it's whether we deliver it how we wants it.
"We haven't been doing that lately. It's not the structure, it's not the team or how we play, it's about us turning up every week and not having error upon error and backing it up with penalties upon penalties.
"We were in the top four and a couple of shaky games have put us where we are, and we deserve to be there. It's up to us to pull ourselves out of this rut and I really think we've got the team to do it."
Reynolds also defended his combination with Moses Mbye in the halves after the pair came under fire for not providing the side with a creative spark when they were in the opposition red zone.
"It's been pretty well documented that we sort of play the same and that both of us don't like calling the plays or sticking to structure, but I feel like we're doing alright," Reynolds said.
"For two blokes that are probably more five-eighths and more running guys, we're doing our best, and that's all we can do.
"If people don't like it then so be it, but I reckon a few blokes in there will back us up because we're just sticking to what we've been told to do.
"More importantly, I feel if everybody nails their role and does what they need to do, that's when we'll get over the line."
While they've struggled of late, the Bulldogs always lift in the post-season, and no matter how they're traveling, they always seem to get the job done when it matters most.
Reynolds said finals experience would be important in Sunday's game, especially against such a youthful side like Penrith.
"I think it helps in some small parts of the game," he replied when asked about Canterbury's finals experience.
"They're probably saying that they're not nervous, but they'll probably go into this game a bit nervous, as you do.
"They've got some really young players, but they're not going to hold anything back, and that's one thing you definitely know about them."
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