2024 review: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

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Lachlan McIntyre catalogues the Bulldogs' rise back to the big time in 2024.

Bulldogs bite back: Canterbury-Bankstown prove NRL fans wrong with first finals appearance since 2016

The Bulldogs entered 2024 with careful optimism - optimism significantly overshadowed by the club's consistent underwhelming performances off the back of big name signings. With Cameron Ciraldo into his second year but Gus Gould rumoured to actually be at the helm, many NRL fans expected Canterbury-Bankstown's season to go much the same as the past few, that is, a slump to well outside of the eight despite the hype surrounding player signings and a so-called ‘transformation'. 

But with big names in their second year at the den - Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau - being joined by the likes of Stephen Crichton and a handful of more-than-handy utilities, the Bulldogs finally delivered upon what they'd been threatening to do for the past few seasons. Although getting off to a rocky start in the form of two straight losses, Canterbury-Bankstown nabbed wins where they could throughout a tough first few months, before getting into their groove around State of Origin time. 

The Bulldogs only lost two games between rounds 12 and 25, with highlights including a demolition of the Broncos in Brisbane and a narrow four point win over Canberra in front of passionate home fans at Belmore. The momentum came crashing to a halt in front of 35,000 fans at Olympic Park in round 26, where they went down by 12 points to Manly. And it would be only two weeks later that the Sea Eagles would end the Bulldogs' 2024 season in a nail-biting elimination final at the same ground. 

Overall, Canterbury-Bankstown's main objective this season would've been to make their first finals appearance since 2016. This they did emphatically, effectively engaging their fan base along the way in a manner which has provided an injection of rugby league flavoured hope and life into the area. It's definitely a season which the club can build upon, and it would be a shame to see them squander this momentum next year - this is a very important pre-season coming up for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. 

Turning Point

R12 v Dragons - At the end of round 11, the Bulldogs were sitting in 13th. They had pushed some big name teams all the way over the previous few rounds but often fell agonisingly short, sitting on a not bad record of 4-6 despite their low ladder position. In round 12 they were set to face the Dragons, who would be a tough opponent, coming off their first bye round and sitting a few places higher than Canterbury-Bankstown at the time. But in front of a little over 15k fans at Olympic Park, doubles for Burton, Kiraz, and Salmon saw the home side triumph 44-12, despite trailing by six at the break. This epic second-half performance would prove to be a significant positive turning point in the Bulldog's season, only coming away without competition points in two of their next 13 rounds, which saw them sit comfortably inside the eight all the way until season's end.

What Worked

The Bulldogs successfully rallied their fans in a way that only success can and has given the Rugby League community a much-needed injection of hope in their footy club. Their round 22 ‘Back to Belmore' game which saw them narrowly edge Canberra 22-18 was a sell out, and really marked their intention of playing finals footy. The media began jumping on the hype train and in the blink of an eye, Canterbury-Bankstown were a force to be reckoned with. The next week, a massive contingent of Dogs fans helped to sell out Jubilee Stadium to watch a massively important win against archrivals St George Illawarra.

The final three games of the Bulldogs' 2024 campaign were at home, and although they lost all three it was certainly not due to lack of supporters. Apart from Easter, the crowds of 35,502; 32,437; & 50,714 in those three games were their highest home attendances all season. 

What Didn't Work

The Bulldogs struggled when it really counted in their final crucial games of the season. Although their struggles certainly didn't kick-off with the Josh Addo-Carr drug test drama, it amplified the noise heading into their do-or-die finals clash with Manly. Having returned a positive result for cocaine on a roadside drug test, Addo-Carr ruled himself out from the side that faced Manly in what will go on to be a narrow defeat to end the Bulldogs' season. But with Phil Gould seemingly misled and speaking out against the claims made by the media, it's easy to believe that there is more going on behind the scenes. 

2024 week-by-week

Best Player

2024 Dally M Captain of the Year Stephen Crichton was an absolute standout for Canterbury-Bankstown throughout the 2024 season. This being his first with the club, a lot of pressure was on Crichton's shoulders to deliver results. The big name signing was thrown into the headlines early in the year when he was named captain, but he certainly proved the doubters wrong. At just 23 years of age at the time, his big game experience made up for his career length. He scored ten tries in 21 games for the Bulldogs, including one in their week one finals loss to Manly. Signed to a four year deal, the sky's the limit for Crichton at Belmore. 

Rookies

Lipoi Hopoi made his NRL debut this season in his 3rd year at the Bulldogs club. Used as a bench forward six times throughout the season in the top grade 17, Gus Gould speaks very highly of the 22 year old. He is set to be upgraded onto a development contract in 2025 with a view to making him a top 30 player at Canterbury-Bankstown by the 2026 season, as he continues to garner NRL minutes. The most minutes so far in his career was 38 on his debut, running for 121 metres. Although he was named in rounds 18 and 22 he remained unused on the bench, further being named as 18th man on two occasions.

2024 player record

Season snapshot

Coach: Cameron Ciraldo
Captains: Stephen Crichton (21), Reed Mahoney (3)

Biggest home crowd: 50,714 (vs. Manly in Elimination Final)
Average home crowd: 24,562

Top pointscorer: Matt Burton (191)
Top tryscorer: Jacob Kiraz (12)

Club awards

Dr George Peponis Medal - Bulldogs 2024 NRL Player of the Year: Viliame Kikau
2024 Players' Player of the Year: Jacob Kiraz
Steve Mortimer Medal - Bulldogs 2024 Rookie of the Year: Bailey Hayward
Carroll & O'Dea Bulldogs 2024 Members Player of the Year and Les Johns Medal for Clubperson of the Year: Stephen Crichton
2024 Bulldogs Coaches Award & Community Service Award: Toby Sexton

Looking Ahead

Josh Addo-Carr was the big question mark, with the rumoured signing of Enari Tuala as well as Blake Wilson waiting in the wings. Addo-Carr now needs to find a new club following his controversial end to 2024.

Sitili Tupouniua is a big gain for the club, however they will be looking for some more big name signings over the coming months. 

Best 17 for 2025

based on current signings at time of writing

1. Connor Tracey
2. Jacob Kiraz
3. Bronson Xerri
4. Stephen Crichton
5. Blake Wilson
6. Matt Burton
7. Toby Sexton
8. Max King
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Samuel Hughes
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Jacob Preston
13. Sitili Tupioniua

14. Kurt Mann
15. Ryan Sutton
16. Josh Curran
17. Tom Amone