Another season, another write-off for the Bulldogs.
There was a lot of expectation coming into 2023. Not to win a premiership, but to challenge for the top eight.
The Bulldogs had landed the most sought-after up-and-coming coach in the game in Cameron Ciraldo, while 2022 grand finalist Reed Mahoney and two-time premiership-winner Viliame Kikau headlined the new recruits.
Jake Averillo was shifted to the centres to make room for Hayze Perham, who was a surprise standout at fullback in the pre-season.
Kyle Flanagan was feeling more settled and confident as a No.7 than ever, a trimmed-down Tevita Pangai Junior made promises to the club about his fitness and Josh Reynolds was home.
It had the makings to be a good year.
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But when does rugby league ever go to script?
Kikau ruptured his pectoral a month in, Flanagan was dropped and then transformed into a hooker, Averillo went back to fullback — and then back to centre — Reynolds spent more time in NSW Cup than NRL before retiring and Pangai Junior shocked everyone when he traded boots for boxing gloves.
The Bulldogs went through 36 players this season — the most of any team. Injuries of course played a part in that but whether it was a year of ‘opportunity’ — as the club sees it — or simply 27 rounds of trial and error chaos is up for debate.
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2023 RECORD: 7 wins, 17 losses (15th)
GRADE: D
What went right:Jacob Preston. He turned up for day one of pre-season as a little-known 21-year-old that was just looking for an opportunity after signing his first Top 30 deal. 10 months later he cleaned up at the Bulldogs’ awards night, claiming the club’s Rookie of the Year, Members’ Player of the Year and the prestigious Dr. George Peponis Player of the Year honour. Preston was spotted last year while playing Jersey Flegg for the Roosters. The Bulldogs kept a close eye on him and after just a handful of games in New South Wales Cup with the North Sydney Bears, they pounced, signing him on a two-year deal. In April, with just seven NRL games under his belt — and ‘Prestonmania’ sweeping through the fanbase — the Bulldogs locked him in on a three-year extension. General Manager of Football Phil Gould said at the time that Preston is regarded as a future leader of the club — and he reiterated that at the awards night on Tuesday. Preston finished the season with six tries and 10 linebreaks in 20 games. He averaged 35 tackles a game — the second highest of the team — and finished seventh in the competition for one-on-one tackles. And his effort areas were second to none. The polite and incredibly humble Preston showed maturity beyond his years as he thanked all the right people — from the coaching staff to his family — during his acceptance speech on Tuesday night before wishing departing players “all the best in your future endeavours.” He admitted that he was “so nervous” on his first day of pre-season because no one knew who he was. Now he’s a household name — and has the makings of a Bulldogs legend.
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What went wrong: Just about everything else. Between the on-field results and the off-field rumours it’s hard to pick a starting point. But we’ll begin with the results because after all they usually dictate how much outside noise there is. There were promising signs in the pre-season trials and a Round 2 upset over the Storm excited the Dogs’ passionate fans. By April the Bulldogs sat eighth with three wins from five rounds. Josh Reynolds was back in the NRL and a Matt Burton field-goal sealed a thrilling win over the Cowboys. The season was tracking well. Then came a 50-16 thumping by the Rabbitohs, followed by a 30-4 loss to the Eels. The defensive system Ciraldo brought with him from Penrith was starting to crumble but no one could have predicted what was going to happen in Round 18. A 66-nil total embarrassment from the Knights. Fans booed the players off when it was 30-nil at half time and those that hadn’t already left booed them off again at full time. Ciraldo was asked in the post-game press conference if it was rock-bottom and he said: “I don’t know about rock-bottom. It’s an embarrassing moment, it’s a disappointing moment.” He suggested though that it was a character-building opportunity. Granted, the team responded with a narrow win over an undermanned Rabbitohs side seven days later and a spirited first-half against the Broncos the next week. But the stats paint a grim picture. The Bulldogs conceded on average 5.5 tries and 32 points a game — the most in the competition. They finished the season with 769 points conceded — just 13 points off the club record set in 2008. It was also the seventh straight season the Dogs have failed to reach the finals, which is their longest streak since 1948-1959. The results opened the club right up to criticism, but things really exploded when it was alleged a training punishment drove a player to request time off for mental health reasons. There’s been lawsuit allegations, conflicting reports and a lot of back and forth in the media. The truth likely sits somewhere in the middle of all of that, but regardless, the only word that can sum up how the saga has unfolded is ugly.
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What they need: For so long the conversation has been about a halfback. But take one look at the 2024 roster and there’s one glaring issue — a serious lack of big, powerful bodies. With Tevita Pangai Junior retiring and Luke Thompson’s future very much up in the air, the pack is looking slim. That’s not taking into account either the fact that Ray Faitala-Mariner has been told he can look elsewhere and reports that Franklin Pele is on the outer too. There’s been rumours suggesting Siua Taukeiaho and Poasa Faamausili are headed to Belmore but neither have been confirmed. 31-year-old Taukeiaho is coming off an injury-riddled season with Catalans in the Super League, while Faamausili only gout four NRL games with the Dolphins this year. Outside of Pele, who has been linked to the Super League, and Faitala-Mariner, the only props contracted for next season are Liam Knight, Max King and Ryan Sutton. While all of them aren’t afraid to roll the sleeves, they’re not exactly the type of player that will strike fear into their opponents.
Coming: Stephen Crichton (Panthers), Bronson Xerri (return from ban), Blake Taaffe (Rabbitohs), Jaeman Salmon (Panthers).
Going: Jake Averillo (Dolphins), Jayden Okunbor (Super League), Tevita Pangai Junior (retirement)
Off-contract: Braidon Burns, Corey Waddell, Declan Casey, Kyle Flanagan, Luke Thompson, Paul Alamoti, Sam Hughes
