RobT
Mass debator
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2005
- Messages
- 334
- Reaction score
- 576
BULLDOGS
Spots left in the Top 30: 1
What they need: A lot of things but let’s start with prop and centre. Now that the club has lured Toby Sexton to play halfback he will have to do until they can try and aim for one of the elite No.7s down the track. But the Bulldogs are dangerously short on middles and strike centres. Jake Averillo has been switched to fullback and is off to the Dolphins next year, while current centres Jacob Kiraz and Paul Alamoti have not lit the world on fire. Kiraz had a great World Cup but has failed to reach those heights in 2023 and Alamoti has been given permission to leave the club. At prop the injury to Luke Tompson has left the Bulldogs short up front. Max King is a solid player and a tireless worker, but Raymond Faitala-Mariner is a back-rower and is only being used in the middle because Tevita Pangai Jr is a borderline liability and is struggling to make an impact off the bench.
Who they should target: There is no surprise the club have been linked to both Origin props Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asumaleaui, but they won’t be coming to the club by August 3 if at all. Matthew Lodge is on a train and trial deal with Manly for the rest of the season, but the Bulldogs could do worse than invest in the NRL journeymen to be one of their bookends going forward. Versatile Souths forward Liam Knight is off-contract and may have to leave Redfern to get more consistent game time after a series of injuries in recent years. In terms of centre targets, Waqa Blake is out of favour at the Eels and coming off-contract. Billy Smith form the Roosters and Tesi Niu from the Dolphins are other options.
Spots left in the Top 30: 1
What they need: A lot of things but let’s start with prop and centre. Now that the club has lured Toby Sexton to play halfback he will have to do until they can try and aim for one of the elite No.7s down the track. But the Bulldogs are dangerously short on middles and strike centres. Jake Averillo has been switched to fullback and is off to the Dolphins next year, while current centres Jacob Kiraz and Paul Alamoti have not lit the world on fire. Kiraz had a great World Cup but has failed to reach those heights in 2023 and Alamoti has been given permission to leave the club. At prop the injury to Luke Tompson has left the Bulldogs short up front. Max King is a solid player and a tireless worker, but Raymond Faitala-Mariner is a back-rower and is only being used in the middle because Tevita Pangai Jr is a borderline liability and is struggling to make an impact off the bench.
Who they should target: There is no surprise the club have been linked to both Origin props Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asumaleaui, but they won’t be coming to the club by August 3 if at all. Matthew Lodge is on a train and trial deal with Manly for the rest of the season, but the Bulldogs could do worse than invest in the NRL journeymen to be one of their bookends going forward. Versatile Souths forward Liam Knight is off-contract and may have to leave Redfern to get more consistent game time after a series of injuries in recent years. In terms of centre targets, Waqa Blake is out of favour at the Eels and coming off-contract. Billy Smith form the Roosters and Tesi Niu from the Dolphins are other options.
