New Wests Tigers playmaker Josh Reynolds has taken a swipe at his former NRL club Canterbury, suggesting they mishandled their halves puzzle.
Reynolds is in familiar territory at the Tigers with fellow recruit Benji Marshall promising to put pressure on him and Luke Brooks for the starting No.6 and No.7 spots ahead of the 2018 NRL season.
At one point during his time at Belmore under then coach Des Hasler, Reynolds was vying with Moses Mbye and Trent Hodkinson for two positions.
The 28-year-old was at pains to point out he welcomed the pressure that comes with three players fighting it out for two spots.
However, he said the uncertainty over whether he was starting or not at times played with his head at the Bulldogs.
It was rumoured that Hasler was at times ultra-secretive to the point of not revealing to his halves where they stood in the pecking order and they spent the week at training not knowing whether they would run on.
Asked if the uncertainty about their positions created friction within the Bulldogs playing group and messed with their heads, Reynolds said: "I think there's a way to do it.
"If they're on the front foot and let you know early, you can get your head around it.
"It's just the timing of it - you've got to be ready for a game and know when you're going in and what you're playing."
He said pressure was a welcome force as long as the coach was transparent about it.
"If you're going out there and doing your job but you could be better every week, then there's someone underneath you playing good footy, it keeps you on your toes," he said.
"Because who am I? I'm just another person. I can be taken over any day."
Reynolds is expected to get first crack at the five-eighth jumper alongside Brooks while favourite son Marshall has been brought in by coach Ivan Cleary to add depth.
He admitted that towards the end of his tenure at the Dogs, he wasn't feeling pushed by other players in the squad and it led to him resting on his laurels.
"I've been in the situation before where there's been three of us going for two positions," he said.
"For myself, I thought it brought out some really good things for me. You're always in competition, that's just footy.
"I honestly think that at the back end of my career at the Dogs, because I was playing week-in and week-out, you start thinking 'I'm going to be sweet'."
