Darren Arthur, ESPN NRL EditorDec 1, 2023, 10:00
Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould has long been an advocate for rebuilding a rugby league club from the ground up. He is firmly of the belief that lasting success must be based on home grown talent, young players who are identified in the local parks and eventually develop into nrl stars.
The logic is sound, you not only make the best use of your junior system, but you also develop stronger community ties with the club. The fans know these players, are related to these players, and they watch them rise through the ranks giving them a unique and unwavering level of support.
Gould went about rebuilding the Panthers by restructuring the club's junior system. Penrith's junior nursery is the biggest in rugby league and had been mismanaged and underutilised. After he left the club it rose to the current heights of success, with first grade teams made up almost entirely of local juniors. Some may argue about the degree of credit Gould should ultimately take for Penrith's premiership triumphs, but few would disagree that his tumultuous eight years at the club played a large part in their rise from NRL also-rans.
Canterbury Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
After a couple of short, not so successful, stints with St George Illawarra and New Zealand Warriors, Gould found a new challenge at the Bulldogs, signing on as the General Manager of Football in 2021. The Bulldogs, like Penrith, were a club close to his heart, having played in and coached premiership-winning Bulldogs teams.
He set about strengthening the junior pathways. He hired head coach Cameron Ciraldo from the Panthers and together they began a painful rebuilding process. The problem faced by Gould and Ciraldo is that after years of abject failure, Bulldogs fans don't have the patience to wait for the junior system to bear fruit. They want improvement now. Gould explained the enormity of the job on 100% Footy, as the 2023 season drew to a miserable close for the Bulldogs.
"I'd say it's probably the most difficult task I could imagine," Gould said.
"Having said that, it's a great club, it's a great club, we know it well - there's a huge groundswell of support out there if we can get it right, and I know we will in time. Putting a timeframe on that is impossible at the moment."
Connor Tracey of the Sharks makes a break against the Knights Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
Getting it right has been the big challenge. The Bulldogs over the past year have made a flurry of signings. Apart from superstar Stephen Crichton, and perhaps Warriors forward Josh Curran, the players acquired would hardly be on top of any other club's list of targets. Kurt Mann, Drew Hutchison, Jaeman Salmon, Jake Turpin, Blake Taafe and Connor Tracey are all fringe first graders, experienced and hardened, but you wouldn't call them match winners.
"It's really hard at the moment, because I've never seen the player market and the ability to buy players and attract players as difficult as what it is at the moment," Gould continued.
"There's not many marquee players coming off-contract and at the moment, supply just doesn't equal demand.
"For us, it's a long-term approach where we're going to develop our own and we've started at the very lowest base and we are out there actively recruiting teenagers.
"In the meantime, what we want is living and breathing examples of people that have been at successful clubs and successful environments. The top sides are gonna have to shed players... it's been handy for us to pick them up."
Kurt Mann in action for the Newcastle Knights Ashley Feder/Getty Images
The result for the Bulldogs is a roster that looks like a dropped pizza. Ingredients everywhere, none of it making much sense and far from palatable for the fans. Take the mixed bag of players competing for backline positions below.
Potential fullbacks: Stephen Crichton, Blake Taafe, Connor Tracey, Hayze Perham, Blake Wilson and Josh Addo-Carr (remembering, he was signed to play fullback).
Wingers: Jacob Kiraz, Blake Wilson, Josh Addo-Carr, Jeral Skelton, Hayze Perham.
Centres: Bronson Xerri, Matt Burton, Connor Tracey, Drew Hutchison, Hayze Perham, Jordan Samrani, Jeral Skelton.
Five-eighths: Matt Burton, Drew Hutchison, Blake Taafe, Kurt Mann, Karl Oloapu.
Halfbacks: Toby Sexton, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Karl Oloapu, Drew Hutchison, Bailey Hayward (Development list).
Of course it pays to have depth, but you could assemble at least 10 legitimate backlines from that list and not one of them would frighten an opposition coach.
Aside from the backline confusion,there remains the very real issue that the Bulldogs lack any real firepower in the engine room. And we all know that rugby league games are won through forward dominance. The only hope for the Bulldogs is that this new crop of players will show more pride in their performances, and will at least put their bodies on the line for the cause.
Otherwise, it all points to another long and painful year for Bulldogs fans. Anyone expecting 2024 to be the year when Ciraldo's magic started to make a mark at Belmore, might be in for more disappointment. It will be a true test of his coaching skills to bring cohesion to this roster and produce a competitive side.
Bulldogs fans are all but out of patience, and if they see another aimless rabble meekly succumbing to humiliating defeats each week, the pitch forks will be sharpened, the torches lit, and Ciraldo and Gould will both be in the firing line.
www.betootaadvocate.com
