News Bulldogs Dilemma: Which NSW gun to target?

[Spoonman84]

a halfback can easily make the transition to hooker as long they can handle the extra defence.

Maybe 20 years ago they could easily make the transition but not these days.

 

[Yougra]

averillo can cover any position in the backline, he is only young, needs to gain experience.

I think Avo would be perfect off the bench as he can cover 1 - 6. Just like Papenheizen started playing off the bench before he forced his way into the team.

A mixture of playing CC and playing off the bench for a year would help his development immensely. No doubt he has that special something about him which we saw glimpses of last year but he is also still a kid and has plenty of other things to work on to be a success in first grade

The cream always rises to the top and I trust TBaz will put the work in to develop him and we could have a truly special player on our hands

 

[Suave]

Yeah Hooker really is the priority at the moment with centre a distant second. I would be very surprised if Penrith let Crichton slip through their grasp. The kid is going to be the best centre in the comp for years to come if he isn't close to it already. Fittler was crazy not to pick him for NSW. But if we can somehow snare him it would be massive for us as he has the potential to be another Willie Tonga like player.

I've been back and forth on the whole Ado Carr signing and think I'm leaning more towards he will be good for us. I honestly don't know whether he would make a gun fullback but he's undoubtedly a player that can break a game wide open with his pace and explosive play. As long as the club has a plan for the number 9 and have enough funds to target someone like a Brandon Smith or Daryl Clark in 2022 then I'd welcome JAC with open arms.

 

[gibbo2]

Either would be great . Currently Addo Carr , but who knows in 2 years time .

 

[CrittaMagic69]

This is a fair point. Someone suggested in an earlier post about JAC being fullback and Averillo on the the wing. Given that the top fullbacks are playing like an extra half as well these days, who would be more suited to that role, Josh (if he signs) or Jake? Personally, I think Jake.

Jake has the wider set of skills...vision, kicking game, ball skills..JAC is yet to demonstrate any of this. Jake however is not yet conditioned for firstgrade while JAC is an established player that has shown he can handle the pace of the game.

There's risk with both players but JAC on potentially mega dollars vs Averillo on substantially less is a big factor for me. We already have Cotric on big $$$ who could flop @ centre and end up back on the wing like DWZ, we hardly need another on bigger $$$ potentially ending up in the same position.

If JAC wants to come here on under 600k with Cotric excelling at centre and Hoppa/DWZ on the way out then i'd be a lot more willing to take JAC. But ideally I'd much prefer that investment being made in other areas as I think that would offer a far greater return.

 

[Jebbundy]

Jac would be a massive signing, even if it was for 2-3 yrs, regardless of his position he’s great under the highball and has some great defensive reads, he’s got the extra 2 try’s in him we need week in week out. Offensively he’s sound. Wether we go avo at fullback he’s young, and untested. So to have those blokes around him will give him confidence and communication, dwz is crap under the highball, so adds to putting pressure on our backs, Kyle and burton are young so will need some strong wingers around them. Cotric made some bad reads at the end of last yr, even with a great fullback at the raiders, meany lacks strength, hopper is getting very slow, talking and communicating your team from the back is just as big as learning to be a ball playing fullback, so to have that experience back there would be massive. Jac can cover ground and if avo starts to break the line at least he’ll have someone following up beside him. We lacked that the last few yrs, every time we had a break hardly any blue and whites around. Having those 2 coming out of our defensive end would be huge. The kicking games of some of the halves going round is huge, but what Cleary did to the maroons in game 2 was what a lot of clubs will be looking at going forward, kicking before the last. Jac for 2-3 yrs i don’t think would hurt us at all, regardless of position. It builds avo up to take that mantle and move jac on if need be.
Napa, Lewis, jmk, Jackson, , money can be be used on an up and comer or someone great moving forward, we need a 9 but I’m not in a rush, McInnes, b smith, maybe looking for clubs 22, I feel like tb will use 21 to look at that?

 

[Lakas]

Maybe 20 years ago they could easily make the transition but not these days.

Not sure if Wakeham is up to it but I think it is worth the shot.

I might be wrong but Peter Wallace, Micheal Ennis and Api Koroisau all started their careers in the halves and successfully transitioned into number nines in recent times.

 

[BULLDVGS]

Not sure if Wakeham is up to it but I think it is worth the shot.

I might be wrong but Peter Wallace, Micheal Ennis and Api Koroisau all started their careers in the halves and successfully transitioned into number nines in recent times.

I feel like hes a better fit there. Seems to have it between the ears but decision making at half is a bit harder. More work at hooker but the works a bit more instinctual, eyes up. Looked ok the little bit he played at hooker. Even saw Tolman and passed around him, what more do you want.

 

[Moedogg]

Buying JAC to play FB is too much of a risk.
I reckon he'll still come anyway if we don't him the FB job.

 

[DogsOfWar1704]

So he played fullback against a bunch of nobodies? Lol.

What attributes? His pace, elusiveness and finishing?...yh that's great, but just that alone is more suited on the wing. If it was that simply then Brett Morris would've made a career @ fullback long ago.

No bodies? You put on ya boots and play the ko. It's a tougher comp then you think.
Not just his speed but his fitness his elusiveness, hes a good talker! Pretty much has everything a fullback needs. All he will have to do is work on his passing and what not.
Leave your judgement until he's played a few games there.

 

[D- voice]

Lachlan Lewis.

It wont happen considering what Lewis is on !

 

[Chriso86]

I see jac as a positive signing, character and charisma bring sponsors in, could help draw more third party deals to the club, thus helping other contracts stay a bit lower

 

[Packstar]

It wont happen considering what Lewis is on !

Whats Lewis on?

 

[LambCurry]

Addo Carr has grown immensely in the past two seasons as a leader which is a quality needed in the fullback position. His energy and chatter was on display this season and his ability to cross the chalk is undeniable. Addo Carr to the bulldogs will be of mutual benefit.
Crichton has documented knee issues despite his breakout season. If he can replicate the same form of 2020 then he might be worth considering but at this stage for mine he is hype.

 

[Phalangist]

Surely they are not planning to let go of Averillo, I can only see him as a 6 or 1, it TB plans playing Burton at 5/8 and JAC at FB
Guess by the end of 2021 we will know a lot more of what Avo is capable off.

Trent Barrett has said in a interview a couple of weeks back that Carr doesn’t necessarily need to pay fullback, he can pay on the wing but roam around how blacklock used to do

 

[LambCurry]

I can’t believe how much pull a coach has. Master stroke getting Barrett

For mine the best thing about signing Barrett is that he actually supported the dogs growing up so you know the passion and desire will be there along with the football smarts he obviously has.

 

[Packstar]

Addo Carr has grown immensely in the past two seasons as a leader which is a quality needed in the fullback position. His energy and chatter was on display this season and his ability to cross the chalk is undeniable. Addo Carr to the bulldogs will be of mutual benefit.
Crichton has documented knee issues despite his breakout season. If he can replicate the same form of 2020 then he might be worth considering but at this stage for mine he is hype.

JAC at FB is even a bigger hype

 

[Como Dog]

WTF? The Sharks offered him $620K a season. Wow. No wonder he was seriosuly considering their offer. FMD

Yeah that figure suprises me tbh. Not sure how accurate it is.

 

[George Ibrahim]

A future NSW Origin star - or the Blues fastest man?

This is the enviable dilemma that suddenly confronts the Canterbury brains-trust who are deliberating over whether to pursue outstanding NSW Origin centre Stephen Crichton and Storm flyer Josh Addo-Carr.

Although Canterbury can’t afford to sign both - how quickly things have changed at Belmore.

Just over 12-months after being frozen out of the transfer market by a lopsided salary cap, the Bulldogs are the club that every other rival is looking over their shoulder for.

The Dogs next step in their recruitment is to add legitimate speed and attacking strike to their backline and it’s Crichton or Addo-Carr who they want.

Crichton has told those close to him his preference is to extend his future beyond his current 2021 deal at Penrith - while the Dogs are of the belief that it could take as much as $700,000 a season to prize the Blues extended squad member out of his current home.

That size salary for a centre is elite-level money with Kiwi Test centre Joey Manu on an equivalent contract at the Roosters.

But the Bulldogs - like the rest of the code - know how much upside and talent Crichton has.

Which is why the Bulldogs are in the process of weighing up their financial capability to make a serious play for Crichton, or whether to continue chasing Addo-Carr, who toured the club‘s facilities this week.

Addo-Carr isn‘t available until the end of his current contract with the Storm at the end of 2021.

One thing is for certain, the Dogs are on a roll.

With money to spend and coach Trent Barrett promising a new way for Canterbury, the ‘Berris pulled off yet another major coup on Wednesday with the acquisition of talented Penrith half Matt Burton.

As first revealed by the Telegraph yesterday, Burton has penned a two-year deal from 2022 with an option in his favour for a third season.

Penrith were never a chance to match the Bulldogs and the Sharks offers - who also offered Burton a deal - of close to $620,000 a season.

Barrett‘s relationship with Burton, having worked together over the past 12-months at Penrith, was what knocked the Sharks out of the race.

Burton still has next season to run on his contract at Penrith, but it‘s almost certain that the 20-year-old and his management will request a release to join the Bulldogs immediately.

Penrith are adamant they won‘t be forthcoming with a release unless there is a suitable replacement or swap player offered.

“Having someone of Matt‘s ability want to be part of what we are building here at Belmore is exciting for everyone involved at the club and all our Members and fans,’’ Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said.

“Matt is a great talent and someone that was highly sought after, so we are delighted that he has chosen to join our club and be part of what we believe to be a new beginning for the Bulldogs.
“With a new coaching staff that is working extremely hard with our players this pre-season and the addition of several new faces we believe that Matt‘s signing for 2022 is another massive step forward for this club.”

Burton will be given first shot at steering the new-look Dogs in 2021 alongside fellow Bulldogs recruit and halfback Kyle Flanagan.

Along with Flanagan, Burton also joins former Panthers teammate Jack Hetherington, Canberra’s representative winger Nick Cotric and Manly forward Corey Waddell as Bulldogs recruits.

Veteran half Kieran Foran has left the Bulldogs to return to Manly under Des Hasler, while unwanted forward Aiden Tolman has joined Cronulla and winger Marcelo Montoya has inked a deal with the New Zealand Warriors.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/bulldogs/nrl-transfer-news-canterbury-bulldogs-sign-penrith-panthers-half-matt-burton/news-story/9c76d9960b23fe594c195f0072d8ac7c

Target both and whoever signs First bad lack to the other guy

 

[LambCurry]

We’ll give them Napa and Lewis as a package deal and we’ll throw in $100k in salary cap money(as in we’ll pay $50k of Napa’s and $50k of Lewis’ contract for 2021). That should seal the deal. C’mon we’re giving them all that for a third string half at their club. Surely they’d take that offer

I still think Napa has something to offer if he gets fit and the right headspace. Become the enforcer he can be with Jack Hetherington , together intimidating opposing packs. New plan with Barret but Dogs of War mentality in the forwards