Josh Reynolds says he regrets the day he walked out on the Bulldogs for the Wests Tigers five years ago, vowing to finish his career back where it all began.
Canterbury officials have confirmed to the Herald that the Bulldogs this week signed off on a 12-week train-and-trial contract that will allow Reynolds the chance to return to his beloved club.
Josh Reynolds is back to where it all began … in Belmore.Credit:Kate Geraghty – Sydney Morning Herald
The $1000-a-week deal is a far cry from the $3.5m deal he signed with the Wests Tigers back in 2018, but the money is no longer a factor for the 33-year-old.
“It’s given me everything, this club. I wish I never left,” Reynolds told the Herald in an interview outside Belmore Sportsground.
“I’ve always chased the same feeling I’ve had here. Money comes and goes, mate. I want to finish where I want to finish. Where I belong. A big thing for me at any club I’ve been at is to try and get people together. It just never happened at any other club. My best and fondest memories are here behind us at this exact stadium. A place where I had so many hard times but so many good times.
“No one remembers me as a Tiger or as a Hull FC player. Everyone always embraces me as a Bulldogs player. Walking down the street here, I’m living in Belmore at the moment, and it still happens. It’s exactly the same. I love this place.”
Josh Reynolds outside Belmore Sportsground.Credit:Kate Geraghty – Sydney Morning Herald
There are many who believe Reynolds’ return to Belmore is a PR stunt. Incoming coach Cameron Ciraldo doesn’t believe so.
He recently spoke with Reynolds and agreed to hand the former NSW Origin five-eighth a chance to prove he still belongs in the NRL.
“The ball is in my court,” Reynolds said. “My goal is to get a top 30 position. I’m coming up against 18-year-old Joseph Suaaliis now and I’m 33, but that doesn’t scare me.
“If I’m being honest, I want to play. I want to play first grade every week. There’s no shying away from that. I don’t want to come here and just train the house down. I’m not just a guinea pig. I want to play week in and week out.
Josh Reynolds has been handed a train-and-trial contract.Credit:Kate Geraghty
“I don’t care what position I play. If I’m a utility off the bench, I will love that. I’m back here to play. That’s my mindset when I return on November 7.”
Reynolds was swarmed by adoring fans at CommBank Stadium on Sunday when he arrived for the NSW Cup grand final between the Bulldogs and Panthers.
He has spent the past two seasons playing in the UK Super League with Hull FC after he was granted a release from the final year of his deal with the Wests Tigers.
A wretched run with injuries denied Reynolds a genuine chance of making the most of his opportunity at the Tigers. He believes his body will reap the benefits from the stretch of forced absences.
“I’m going to come back and push my body to places that who knows if it can go there any more,” Reynolds said.
“The Bulldogs supporter base know what type of person I am. Nothing is going to be in half measures. I’ll give it everything I’ve got and in a way it’ll be good that my body hasn’t played a lot of football in recent years. I want to do whatever it takes to help the club. I was going to retire if I couldn’t get here. It’s the only place I want to be.
“I know I’m not going to be a superstar, but I will do what needs to be done whether that is helping a 16-year-old come through the grades and make him realise what it takes to be a Bulldog or if it is me playing first grade. I need to give back to this club that has given me so much in my life.”
Coaches face big calls on returning stars
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur and Panthers coach Ivan Cleary both have huge decisions to make in regards to the make-up of their respective backlines.
Taylan May is due to return from suspension this week but has only just started running after aggravating a hamstring in the first week of the finals. He starts the week at long odds to play, with Charlie Staines expected to hold on to the wing position. Cleary will give May more time before pulling the pin.
As for the Eels, Arthur is in a similar predicament with Tom Opacic. If it was a normal competition game he would be unlikely to play next week. The performance of Bailey Simonsson in his absence last week may make the decision easier for the coach.
RCG comments still rankle Panthers
Whether or not there is any truth to the rumours that Reagan Campbell-Gillard’s axing from the NSW Origin team was as a result of unease from Panthers players, tension remains.
The Panthers haven’t forgotten comments Campbell-Gillard made when he left the club a few years ago, where he all but declared that he’d given up.
“When you’re in the position I was in, coming off the bench and playing 25 to 30 minutes, you tend to think, ‘Stuff it, I’ll start doing this and that and not caring about it’,” Campbell-Gillard said at the time.
The players will do their best to play it down, but you can be assured those comments haven’t been forgotten.
Parra party kept Pennies awake
Penrith made the decision for their players to go into camp in Parramatta the night before their preliminary final win against the Rabbitohs.
The players didn’t get much sleep to start the night with Eels fans out parading and honking their horns through the streets of Parramatta following their win over the Cowboys. The party didn’t stop until well after midnight.
The Panthers will be going into camp the night before the grand final, although they won’t be making the same mistake twice. They’re expected to spend the night at Sydney Olympic Park.
Longest droughts in history
Some of the longest premiership droughts in the history of the game have been brought to an end over the past decade.
Cronulla’s 2016 title brought to a close the second-longest drought (49 years) in the competition’s history. South Sydney’s 2014 title ended a 43 year wait. Parramatta is now sitting at 36 years and counting.
LONGEST DROUGHTS IN NRL HISTORY
- North Sydney Bears: 77 years (1922-1999)
- Cronulla Sharks: 49 years (1967-2016)
- Western Suburbs: 47 years (1952-1999)
- South Sydney Rabbitohs: 43 years (1971-2014)
- Newtown: 40 years (1943-1983)
- Parramatta Eels: 36 years (1986-2022)
- Parramatta Eels: 34 years (1947-1981)
