FOOTBALLERS are motivated by many things when it comes to their weekend performance but I have found no greater incentive to produce a winning performance than that of embarrassment over past dismal efforts.

The Bulldogs travelled to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane yesterday as rank outsiders against the Broncos, not so much because Wayne Bennett's men are in great form but because the Bulldogs have been bordering on inept.

From the opening stages of yesterday's clash, however, the Canterbury forwards showed they were full of intent to set the platform for an amazing upset win. In recent times, the Dogs have become very soft in defence and emotionally suspect when the game has been on the line.

Every week, they turn in good periods of play, but the difference between their best and their worst is as wide as a chasm. After a good start and an early lead in yesterday's game, all who watched were asking whether they could sustain their effort. They did look shaky at times but somehow found the resolve to repel the Broncos' second-half rally.

In all fairness to the Bulldogs, they are obviously in a transitional phase when it comes to developing a new-look team. Names such as Tim Winitana, Heka Nanai, Arana Taumata, Lee TeMaari: these are the names of the modern-day footballers. Big, strong kids from Islander backgrounds who are often thrust into the top grade before their time because of their physical size and strength rather than any knowledge of what it takes to win first-grade football games.

Yesterday, though, they played like seasoned veterans in front of a big and partisan home crowd willing on the Broncos to victory.

Unheralded forwards Jarred Hickey, Fred Briggs, Chris Armit and John Kite took on their more illustrious opponents as though their reputations didn't mean a thing. If anything, this inspired the better-known Bulldogs such as Sonny Bill Williams, Andrew Ryan and Reni Maitua to produce their best. They gained good forward momentum for their team, allowing the skill factor in their back line to make its presence known.

The Bulldogs weren't great but they were competitive for the full 80 minutes, and that was enough to see off the Broncos. If the early enthusiasm flagged the Bulldogs' intentions for the day, then the Broncos' lethargic beginning had their fans nervous from a very early stage.

I have seen this before from Brisbane when a great player such as Darren Lockyer returns to the field after an extended lay-off. The Broncos pride themselves on a tremendous work ethic and have held the fort well while their champion five-eighth has been watching from the grandstands.

But when he returns, it seems they go into the match with the subconscious thought that 'Darren is back, so we will be sweet'. As a result, their intensity is down and they do not provide their playmakers with the platform to construct their attack. Their forwards simply didn't do the job yesterday and as a result, the Broncos' back line never really looked liked clicking into gear.

Some of this should be credited to the defence from Daryl Millard and Hazem El Masri, who continually came up quickly to put pressure on the Broncos' ball movement.

A frustrated Brisbane side squandered opportunities and possession and, soon, the clock became their biggest enemy as they endeavoured to chase down a 12-point deficit.

For Bennett, it will be a case of this being just one of those days. He's been round long enough to know that without reason nor warning, your team takes the field and is not mentally up for the challenge - but by then it's too late to do anything about it and the coach sits in the grandstands watching his players fumble their way to an expensive defeat.

A quick word on Lockyer: it's great to see him back on the field, but from what I saw yesterday, he is still a way off having confidence on that troubled knee. His kicking and passing were adequate if not a little rusty, and his big heart and competitive spirit ensured that his defence was willing. However, I thought he lacked confidence in running the ball and on a couple of occasions he appeared cautious in his execution. He is a champion, though, and with the confidence of getting through yesterday's game, improvements should come rapidly.

In the end though, the Dogs turned around a miserable couple of months with a wholehearted team performance. The Broncos might well rue the fact they took them lightly.