2022 Preview: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

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Our third NRL club preview for 2022 has Sam Bourke looking at the big-spending Bulldogs, who have a fresh squad after a massive recruitment drive over the past twelve months.

After collecting their first Wooden Spoon since 2008, the Canterbury Bulldogs come into the new season with the pressure to perform for coach Trent Barrett.

While the past few seasons have been some of the leanest in the club's history, the old line of there just isn't enough talent is now out the window following an aggressive recruitment drive which saw 13 players depart from the 2021 squad. The diehard fans are starved of success and will be demanding the side transform from cellar dwellers to Top 8 contenders in 2022.  

2021 was a complete write off, for the second straight season it was a dismal total of 3 wins. The season started with optimism with some key signings in Nick Cotric, Jack Hetherington, Corey Allan and Kyle Flanagan which looked to be a step in the right direction. However, the Bulldogs were far from a finished product as they stumbled through the first half of the season with a solitary win over Cronulla in Round 7, as Trent Barrett's side struggled to adapt to the faster style of football being played. In the most offence heavy season of the modern era, Canterbury were the least effective team with the ball in hand by a considerable distance. The Dogs did however show heart in their defeats and also managed to unearth some talented youngsters in Jake Averillo, Aaron Schoupp and Jackson Topine. The enthusiasm and fight was rewarded with two big wins in the second half of the season over the Dragons and a last round 38-0 thrashing of the hapless Tigers which gave fans some deserved joy to end the season. 

2022 sees the most impressive offseason recruitment drive in the NRL, headlined by Panthers premiership winner and Dally M Centre of the Year Matt Burton, who will wear the famous number 6 jersey. Australian and NSW winger Josh Addo-Carr joins the club off the back of a 23 try season with Melbourne, as well as former Kangaroos and Blues prop Paul Vaughan. Rounding out the new talent is one of the competition's most explosive and dynamic forwards in Tevita Pangai Junior, who joins the club via Brisbane and off a successful finals campaign cameo with the premiers Penrith.

Perhaps the jewel in the crown however, is the return to the club of 1988 premiership winning coach Phil Gould as the Bulldogs Football Manager. After years in the wilderness the Bulldogs are on the rise. 

Why they'll win it

The Bulldogs are a completely different outfit to past seasons and their new look roster has solved some of the major issues. Can't score tries? The arrival of Josh Addo-Carr and former Dragon Matt Dufty bring an element you can't coach, speed. The new found left edge is lethal in Burton, Pangai Jr, Brent Naden and Addo-Carr and provided they gel quickly, then they will score points. The other shining attribute the Bulldogs already do well is that they led the competition in 2021 in completions at 80%. If they continue to hold onto to possession in their attacking zone then this new look combination get the scoreboard ticking over. 

While Matt Burton was unbelievable at centre last season with his lethal running game, he now returns to his favoured five-eighth position. Following his breakout season, most will have forgotten what a superb boot he has in general play. The Bulldogs last tackle options have been abysmal in recent years, but Burton will change this, and with the combination of Vaughan, Luke Thompson and Josh Jackson getting the Dogs on the front foot through the middle, this will allow Burton plenty of time to put the exclamation point on the end of sets. 

Why they won't

Canterbury won't go from last place to premiers in 12 months, it is just not possible. They have won 6 games in two years and it will take time for the new recruits to gel, perhaps mid-season at best.

While Canterbury have considerably more talent in their roster than previous seasons, their all-important spine is still a lot to be desired. Fullback Dufty is off the back of a poor season with the Dragons, hooker Jeremy Marshall-King is not an elite number nine, while the number 7 jersey has been a revolving door since Trent Hodkinson exited the club. The only saving grace is the recruitment of Burton, but he alone can't carry them to a premiership in his first season in the blue and white. 

The draw - how Canterbury's schedule stacks up

With only 3 wins since taking over the clipboard at Belmore, the fate of Trent Barrett may well be decided following their opening two matches of the season, where the Dogs host North Queensland and then Brisbane. If they don't win their opening games, then it will be hard to see where their next win comes from where they literally face the 2021 Top 4 in back to back games. If the Dogs are 0-6 then it is hard to see Barrett survive the season.

Canterbury's draw eases throughout the Origin period with a string of winnable games against the likes of Tigers, Sharks, Knights, Cowboys and Warriors leaving them with a decent chance of making a shock finals run. The season ends with a run of Sydney matches, culminating some big rivalry matches against the Eels and Sea Eagles to finish. 

Key players

The obvious is of course Matt Burton, as he is coming from the premiers who are surrounded by the upper echelon of young talent in the NRL, to the cellar dwellers who fans expect will lead the club towards the finals. Having signed for the club 12 months in advance, which led to a bitter tug of war between the two clubs last year, this has only increased the expectation that Burton is the saviour and will solve the issue of winning matches.

Another high profile signing is that of Tevita Pangai Jr, who like Burton will also have to burden heavy expectation. Pangai has at times looked destined to be one of the best forwards in the game in his time at the Broncos, but the firebrand forward has yet to hit his peak. On his day Pangai Jr is a match winner and an intimidating force to join the likes of Jackson, Thompson, Hetherington and Vaughan in the engine room. After being shown the door at Brisbane, the Tongan international more than has a point to prove in 2022. 

If both Burton and Pangai are at the very least in the conversation for a NSW Blues debut mid-year, then Canterbury will be on the right track in 2022.     

Rookie to watch

Paul Alamoti is the young gun being touted as the next big thing out Belmore way, with the 18 year old recently having been elevated to the Top 30 squad in a sign that he could be a good chance of making his debut in 2022. The blockbusting centre has dominated in the junior grades with his speed, size and strength, however has yet to play NSW Cup. Alamoti is one to keep an eye on in the upcoming trials to see how he handles playing first grade, despite only just being old enough to buy a beer.   

Player movement

INBOUND: Josh Addo-Carr, Max King (Melbourne), Matt Burton, Brent Naden (Penrith), Matt Dufty, Paul Vaughan (St Geo Illa), Tevita Pangai Junior (Brisbane via Penrith), Josh Cook, Braidon Burns (South Sydney), Reece Hoffman (Wests Tigers)

OUTBOUND: Nick Meaney (Melbourne), Will Hopoate (St Helens (SL)), Renouf Atoni (Sydney), Adam Elliott, Nick Cotric (Canberra), Christian Crichton, Chris Smith (Penrith), Dylan Napa (Catalans (SL)), John Asiata (Leigh (SL)) Ofahiki Ogden, James Roumanos, Sione Katoa, Watson Heleta, Lachlan Lewis, Dean Britt, Bradley Deitz (released), Falakiko Manu (Brisbane)

Best 17

1. Matt Dufty
2. Corey Allan 
3. Brent Naden
4. Aaron Schoupp
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Matt Burton
7. Jake Averillo
8. Paul Vaughan
9. Jeremy Marshall-King
10. Luke Thompson
11. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
12. Tevita Pangai Jr
13. Josh Jackson (c)

14. Bailey Biondi-Odo
15. Ava Seumanufagai
16. Jack Hetherington
17. Jackson Topine