Doomsdaydog
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- Oct 20, 2016
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To our Bulldogs family
As we start to look forward to the 2020 season, I wanted to say a big thank you on behalf of the Board, Management and Players to all our Bulldogs family for the ongoing support and loyalty you have given the Club.
When we were given the enormous privilege of being elected to your Board barely 20 months ago, we were excited to have the chance to deliver on the wishes of the Membership.
You made it very clear that our Club was a proud club, one used to success, but one that was built on true Bulldogs values. You asked us to return to the Bulldogs Way.
We believe we have made progress, but we know there is a lot more to do.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that the club is offering Kieran Foran all the support that he needs as he recovers from his shoulder surgery. Kieran is part of our family and we are making sure that he gets the best possible medical and emotional support as he begins his rehabilitation in the coming weeks.
The challenges with our salary cap and roster management were widely noted, but we believe we have the club in a far better place than when we first started. Once it was clear where we were, and importantly why we had got there, tough decisions were made with a clear eye on preparing the Bulldogs to once again be competitive in the recruitment market.
We were not prepared for the extent of the challenges we found with the salary cap, as we detailed publicly just prior to the June 30 deadline in 2018. We realised then that we could not be in the market for a marquee player until the 2021 season.
Astute salary cap management since then has meant that we have been able to make some changes to the roster. However, it also meant that we saw several senior representative players with significant NRL experience leave our club within the first twelve months of our term. This left us with the youngest team last season, and the least experienced in terms of NRL games.
An upside was we were able to secure key signings in Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Corey Harawira-Naera, and have now added Joe Stimson, Dean Britt and Sione Katoa for the 2020 season. These experienced players will add to a gutsy and committed young roster who are now a year older, who have played more NRL games, and, for many, who now have the all-important second full off-season training schedule under their belt.
We look forward to further positive progress on the field as we strive to get back on top. While performances on the field across the 2018 and 2019 seasons were mixed, and certainly results were not what this club demands, we nonetheless are very proud of not just our young squad’s efforts over the last two years, but also the work and commitment under significant pressure of CEO Andrew Hill, Coach Dean Pay and their staff.
They deserve credit, and we are excited about continuing the improvement of all of us at the Bulldogs. We look forward to further positive progress on the field as we strive to get back on top.
While performances on the field across the 2018 and 2019 seasons were mixed, and certainly results were not what this club demands, we nonetheless are very proud of not just our young squad’s efforts over the last two years, but also the work and commitment under significant pressure of CEO Andrew Hill, Coach Dean Pay and their staff. They deserve credit, and we are excited about continuing the improvement of all of us at the Bulldogs.
Each day we are getting closer to the 2021 season where we have significant salary cap room to shape the team that the club is looking for.
The re-set of the club was not just on the field, it went beyond the Football department. In a clear endorsement of what we are doing, I want to call out what we consider to be real coups for the Bulldogs, with the hiring of Jack Mesley and club legend Steve Price to head up our Commercial and Football Departments, respectively. CEO Andrew Hill now has a stellar Senior Leadership Team with Vince Costa, David Townsend and Selina Birchall to propel the club forward, both on and off the field. We also added to our Football Department with key experienced and talented staff in Tony Ayoub, Dr Dave Givney, Steve James, Dave Hamilton, Mark Hughes, Craig Wilson and more recently, John Grealy.
The Board has also tightened up the governance and accountability for all at the club, with processes now in place regarding key decisions, especially around the salary cap, recruitment and contract offers.
We know we need to have a team that is capable of winning a competition – it is who the Bulldogs are. We have looked deeply at all levels of the club, and worked hard to determine what needed fixing, and what needed to be in place to have us ready to win. While much work has been done, there is more to do to get to where this club’s proud history demands. 2018 and 2019 will be remembered as the years we re-set the Bulldogs back on our much loved and successful Bulldogs Way.
Our fans have recognised this. While we have not made the finals, we have been acknowledged for the way the club is fighting back, for the young men who are giving the club their all. We must now step up. The next stage is to build on the foundations we have built.
All of us at the Bulldogs want to see the club back where it should be – on top of the Rugby League world.
Thank you for being there in good and bad times.
We are heading in the right direction and to help celebrate this I would like to take this opportunity to invite each of you to join us at our Christmas Members Forum at Belmore Sportsground on Wednesday 11 December at 6pm.
On that night our full Top 30 squad will cook a BBQ and it will be a great opportunity to meet all your favourite players and grab some photos and autographs.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Lynne
Lets discuss fellas
As we start to look forward to the 2020 season, I wanted to say a big thank you on behalf of the Board, Management and Players to all our Bulldogs family for the ongoing support and loyalty you have given the Club.
When we were given the enormous privilege of being elected to your Board barely 20 months ago, we were excited to have the chance to deliver on the wishes of the Membership.
You made it very clear that our Club was a proud club, one used to success, but one that was built on true Bulldogs values. You asked us to return to the Bulldogs Way.
We believe we have made progress, but we know there is a lot more to do.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that the club is offering Kieran Foran all the support that he needs as he recovers from his shoulder surgery. Kieran is part of our family and we are making sure that he gets the best possible medical and emotional support as he begins his rehabilitation in the coming weeks.
The challenges with our salary cap and roster management were widely noted, but we believe we have the club in a far better place than when we first started. Once it was clear where we were, and importantly why we had got there, tough decisions were made with a clear eye on preparing the Bulldogs to once again be competitive in the recruitment market.
We were not prepared for the extent of the challenges we found with the salary cap, as we detailed publicly just prior to the June 30 deadline in 2018. We realised then that we could not be in the market for a marquee player until the 2021 season.
Astute salary cap management since then has meant that we have been able to make some changes to the roster. However, it also meant that we saw several senior representative players with significant NRL experience leave our club within the first twelve months of our term. This left us with the youngest team last season, and the least experienced in terms of NRL games.
An upside was we were able to secure key signings in Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Corey Harawira-Naera, and have now added Joe Stimson, Dean Britt and Sione Katoa for the 2020 season. These experienced players will add to a gutsy and committed young roster who are now a year older, who have played more NRL games, and, for many, who now have the all-important second full off-season training schedule under their belt.
We look forward to further positive progress on the field as we strive to get back on top. While performances on the field across the 2018 and 2019 seasons were mixed, and certainly results were not what this club demands, we nonetheless are very proud of not just our young squad’s efforts over the last two years, but also the work and commitment under significant pressure of CEO Andrew Hill, Coach Dean Pay and their staff.
They deserve credit, and we are excited about continuing the improvement of all of us at the Bulldogs. We look forward to further positive progress on the field as we strive to get back on top.
While performances on the field across the 2018 and 2019 seasons were mixed, and certainly results were not what this club demands, we nonetheless are very proud of not just our young squad’s efforts over the last two years, but also the work and commitment under significant pressure of CEO Andrew Hill, Coach Dean Pay and their staff. They deserve credit, and we are excited about continuing the improvement of all of us at the Bulldogs.
Each day we are getting closer to the 2021 season where we have significant salary cap room to shape the team that the club is looking for.
The re-set of the club was not just on the field, it went beyond the Football department. In a clear endorsement of what we are doing, I want to call out what we consider to be real coups for the Bulldogs, with the hiring of Jack Mesley and club legend Steve Price to head up our Commercial and Football Departments, respectively. CEO Andrew Hill now has a stellar Senior Leadership Team with Vince Costa, David Townsend and Selina Birchall to propel the club forward, both on and off the field. We also added to our Football Department with key experienced and talented staff in Tony Ayoub, Dr Dave Givney, Steve James, Dave Hamilton, Mark Hughes, Craig Wilson and more recently, John Grealy.
The Board has also tightened up the governance and accountability for all at the club, with processes now in place regarding key decisions, especially around the salary cap, recruitment and contract offers.
We know we need to have a team that is capable of winning a competition – it is who the Bulldogs are. We have looked deeply at all levels of the club, and worked hard to determine what needed fixing, and what needed to be in place to have us ready to win. While much work has been done, there is more to do to get to where this club’s proud history demands. 2018 and 2019 will be remembered as the years we re-set the Bulldogs back on our much loved and successful Bulldogs Way.
Our fans have recognised this. While we have not made the finals, we have been acknowledged for the way the club is fighting back, for the young men who are giving the club their all. We must now step up. The next stage is to build on the foundations we have built.
All of us at the Bulldogs want to see the club back where it should be – on top of the Rugby League world.
Thank you for being there in good and bad times.
We are heading in the right direction and to help celebrate this I would like to take this opportunity to invite each of you to join us at our Christmas Members Forum at Belmore Sportsground on Wednesday 11 December at 6pm.
On that night our full Top 30 squad will cook a BBQ and it will be a great opportunity to meet all your favourite players and grab some photos and autographs.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Lynne
Lets discuss fellas