2023 review: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

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Lachlan McIntyre recaps another false dawn for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2023, in the third instalment of our NRL club recap series.

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs entered the new 2023 season with hope, as they have done for the past few years. With promising off-season after promising off-season, the Bulldogs have always seemed like the sleeping giants heading into the new year.

Yet, it's been a long time since they've delivered on any potential. So would 2023 finally be the year where the arrival of big name signings, including new head coach Cameron Ciraldo, could lift them back into the top eight? 

A promising start to the season gave fans yet another spoonful of hope, before it all came crashing down as the year wore on.

Four straight losses rounded the season out, and saw the Bulldogs drop all the way down to their final ladder position of 15th.

Under-achieving yet again, Ciraldo and the club have a lot of work to do to finally turn their NRL side around.

Turning point

The Bulldogs' loss to the Sydney Roosters in Round 14 was a crucial point in their season. Heading into the game off a bye, and before that an important win over the Titans, Canterbury looked up for the challenge against Easts.

They went down 25-24 in a thriller on the Central Coast, a knife to the heart of the fans. This loss would turn into a four game losing streak, culminating in an embarrassing 66-0 loss to Newcastle. It very much spelled the end of any finals hopes.

What worked

The Bulldogs' first five rounds of the season showed some promising signs. Despite a heavy loss to a strong Manly side to open their campaign, Canterbury-Bankstown shocked the rugby league world with a comfortable second round 26-12 victory over the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne - the only away side to record victory at AAMI Park in 2023.

They backed this up with a narrow victory against the Wests Tigers, and were unlucky not to record a third straight victory when they went down by only two points to the Warriors in round four.

A one point round five victory against the North Queensland Cowboys rounded out the best five game record of the season for the Bulldogs. 

What didn't work

Defence, which was pretty atrocious throughout the entire season. They easily amassed the worst defensive record across the regular season, letting in a total of 769 points, nearly 100 more than the second worst, wooden spooners the Wests Tigers.

Rarely a game passed in which the Bulldogs didn't concede near to or more than 30, and this meant that even when Canterbury-Bankstown won, the game was incredibly high-scoring, in one case recording a 36-32 win when they took down Souths in Round 19.

2023 week-by-week

Best players

Belrose junior Jacob Preston made a mark with the Bulldogs in his first season of first grade footy. After making his debut in round one, and playing 52 minutes off the bench, he was instantly upgraded to a starting position which he would come to make his own across the course of the year.

Rarely playing less than eighty minutes, Preston was a consistent and talented surprise for the Bulldogs forward pack. He has been extended with the club until 2027, and if this was what he could dish up in just his first season, then fans should be excited to see him improve as his experience in the NRL grows.

In his second season in the NRL, Jacob Kiraz continued his upward trajectory. Making 19 appearances, with the majority of those on the wing, he was often very involved in games, especially for an outside back.

The 21 year old had his praises sung by the rugby league world as he made his way through the junior ranks, and with a handful of International appearances under his belt as well, Kiraz has heaps of potential. He is currently signed until the end of 2024, so keep an eye out for a possible extension or any other clubs who might want to pinch him.

Rookies

Bankstown junior Khaled Rajab has a very bright future ahead of him. Although he is not currently on an NRL contract with the Bulldogs, it is expected that he will stay there for the duration of the 2024 season.

Rajab made his NRL debut off the interchange in round 14, and partnered up with Matt Burton in the halves just a few weeks later. The Lebanon international will want to earn a few more top flight appearances in 2024.

2024 player list

36 players, 25.25 average age

Season snapshot

Coach: Cameron Ciraldo
Captains: Matt Burton (24), Reed Mahoney (2)

Biggest home crowd: 35,211 (vs. Souths in round 6)
Average home crowd: 17,355

Top pointscorer: Matt Burton (138)
Top tryscorer: Jake Averillo (12)

Club awards

Dr George Peponis Player of the Year - Jacob Preston
Coaches Award - Jacob Kiraz
Members Player of the Year - Jacob Preston
Community Service Award - Vililame Kikau
Steve Mortimer Rookie of the Year - Jacob Preston
Terry Lamb NSW Cup Player of the Year - Jayden Tanner
Hazem El Masri Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year - Lachlan Vale
Ron Massey Cup Player of the Year - Josh Kalati

Looking ahead

Some very handy signings have already been confirmed for the Bulldogs in 2024, with Stephen Crichton the headline act. Not too many big names are departing, giving fans yet again reason to hope in 2024.

With Ciraldo now well and truly settled into his role, the Bulldogs really need some results. Unfortunately for them, I don't see them improving much in 2024.

Best 17 for 2024

current signings at time of writing

1. Stephen Crichton
2. Josh Addo-Carr
3. Hayze Perham
4. Jacob Kiraz
5. Blake Taafe
6. Matt Burton
7. Toby Sexton
8. Max King
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Liam Knight
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Jacob Preston
13. Ryan Sutton

14. Jaeman Salmon
15. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
16. Chris Patolo
17. Jackson Topine