Bulldogs yet to sniff out new fullback after Ben Barba departure
STUART HONEYSETT
THE AUSTRALIAN
NOVEMBER 19, 2013 7:20PM
CANTERBURY has admitted its fullback position is up for grabs with the club still struggling to find a suitable replacement for Ben Barba next season.
The Bulldogs have been on the hunt for a new No 1 ever since they released Barba from the remaining two years of his contract on compassionate grounds to follow his partner and two children home to Brisbane. Barba was subsequently snapped up by the Broncos.
Canterbury has been linked to a number of replacements including Brisbane's Josh Hoffman, who will have to surrender the fullback spot for Barba, and Warriors' Kevin Locke, who is about to be deposed from the No 1 jumper by Wigan's Sam Tomkins, but both trails have gone cold.
Canterbury chief executive Raelene Castle yesterday also ruled out the club making an approach to Blake Ferguson who is a free agent and without a club ever since walking out on Canberra before the end of the season.
"Blake Ferguson is not in our plans and we've come to the conclusion that we'll be better developing our own talent and the young talent that we've got instead of buy someone who doesn't really change the game for us from a fullback's perspective," Castle said.
"All of those players (Hoffman and Locke) are on contract and that's just where we'll leave it.
"In a perfect world you'd have someone immediately but unfortunately things don't always work out that way."
Castle said she still hasn't given up hope of luring a quality player to Belmore next year, pointing to former Warriors centre Krisnan Inu and former Sydney Roosters winger Sam Perrett who both joined the Bulldogs mid-season.
The club hasn't given up hope on either Hoffman or Locke and could still make a move for either player sometime down the track.
"Footy is a funny game in that things can change quickly," Castle said.
"I think that could happen once players get back from the World Cup because things have been put on hold.
"In the same way that we picked up Krisnan Inu halfway through a season 24 months ago we could be in the same situation with a fullback so you've always got to keep an open mind."
Until then the club will look within to fill the spot with Kangaroos centre Josh Morris the favourite after standing in for Barba when he was sidelined with injury this season. Morris might be reluctant to move as it could have ramifications for him playing centre for NSW.
Other options include Inu, Perrett, Mitch Brown, Drury Low, NSW Cup's Corey Thompson or Holden Cup's Pat Templeman.
"It definitely is up for grabs and already a couple of boys have put their hand up - not incessantly for the fullback position but just across the board for other positions in the team and that's a great situation for us to be in," Castle said.
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