News Bulldogs look to future with fresh roster for upcoming season

[KLil]

U Clearly haven't seen the boys training recently? Montoya is one of the quickest in the team. He did well in beep and in the sprints. Just cos montoya played crap last year doesn't mean he has nothing.

Unless he can somehow conjure up a step, fend and break tackles his got no chance once kids like harper come in. There is also Okunbor whose transitioning to the backs nicely.

 

[doggieaaron]

I have a feeling meaney will kill it

 

[DoggyStyla]

Unless he can somehow conjure up a step, fend and break tackles his got no chance once kids like harper come in. There is also Okunbor whose transitioning to the backs nicely.

Let’s hope he has beefed up a little.. Then he will be more damaging.. I for one think we will have a better year this year.. Lewis will be 18th man SOO, and Foran needs to stay fit, and we should play Cogger at 9.. He is quick can kick and pass.. He would be a lot like Ennis

 

[Mr Invisible]

Let’s hope he has beefed up a little.. Then he will be more damaging.. I for one think we will have a better year this year.. Lewis will be 18th man SOO, and Foran needs to stay fit, and we should play Cogger at 9.. He is quick can kick and pass.. He would be a lot like Ennis

Not a bad idea, except Coggers defence is a little questionable, and he's only 83 kgs (176cm tall). Granville by comparison is 173cm / 86kgs, and Cook is 180cm / 88kgs.

If he put on a few kgs in the offseason though, might not be a bad idea. Gives us another option in the halves too if we have a mid game injury (god forbid).

 

[JUNKYARD DOGS]

Was thinking if Cogger could play 9. I dont mind the way he plays to be honest, very confident and direct. Needs to improve yes but that will come with Game time and experience. Good back up if Foran breaks thats for sure.

 

[D- voice]

I like this but I think Hoppa will start at fullback with Meaney in ISP to begin with.
I don't mind having CHN in the centers and I need to have RFM in the team. He was playing great footy before he got injured and he was a big loss for the season.

Forms will be assessed...
Canterbury will not change their ways, they will be loyal to the players from the previous year taking into consideration their forms .
Fullback has been a problem for years now and if Meaney plays well in the trials...he will be the fullback .
We need experience in the centers and only Hopoate could provide that, JMoz is gone .
We have been missing a running second-rower and this is why we have bought CHN .

 

[TABOO]

Forms will be assessed...
Canterbury will not change their ways, they will be loyal to the players from the previous year taking into consideration their forms .
Fullback has been a problem for years now and if Meaney plays well in the trials...he will be the fullback .
We need experience in the centers and only Hopoate could provide that, JMoz is gone .
We have been missing a running second-rower and this is why we have bought CHN .

Agree that form will play a part BUT, Hoppa has played in the centres and it was a massive failure.
I don't believe we are lacking in backrowers, it is probably the one position where we have depth.

 

[speedy2460]

Forms will be assessed...
Canterbury will not change their ways, they will be loyal to the players from the previous year taking into consideration their forms .
Fullback has been a problem for years now and if Meaney plays well in the trials...he will be the fullback .
We need experience in the centers and only Hopoate could provide that, JMoz is gone .
We have been missing a running second-rower and this is why we have bought CHN .

Agreed we need some experience in the centres. But to persevere with someone who has failed doesnt make any sense.
His defence as a centre was woeful. He destroyed Montoya as well as Montoya had to try and cover for him.
I still would try CHN as a centre as he offers more than most.

 

[D- voice]

Hoppa's natural position is winger, he plays in the center or fullback out of necessity.
We haven't had a real running second-rower since Frank the tank.

 

[vegny]

Still not convinced hoppa wouldnt make a good ctr. One of the best at draw and pass. Good at putting ppl in space etc. I think the issue with the defence on left side in 1st half of season was due to the structure we had. Plus he had the slowest winger outside him. Thats my opinion.
Dont really understand how he can make a good winger when lack of pace is his issue.

 

[Mr Invisible]

Winger - will get kicked in behind and faster wingers will run straight around him.
Centre - Before the other year hadn't played there in like 3 years and it showed. Will get caught out in defence.
Fullback - His best position and last year towards the tail end of the season was on fire. Sure he lacks a bit of pace but his support, passing, and creating the overlap was leading to points last season.

 

[Blue&whiteAxe]

I have a feeling meaney will kill it

He will be very average when he gets his shot. Won’t do much wrong, but won’t win a game for us, whilst Hopa will.

 

[KiwiDog7]

Still not convinced hoppa wouldnt make a good ctr. One of the best at draw and pass. Good at putting ppl in space etc. I think the issue with the defence on left side in 1st half of season was due to the structure we had. Plus he had the slowest winger outside him. Thats my opinion.
Dont really understand how he can make a good winger when lack of pace is his issue.

Spot on

Our d structure for 3/4 of the season was fkd! The only reason the twins adapted was because they are world class and experienced

Pay needs to overhaul both d and attack

Just let Georgallis take over defence

 

[jasonsmith11]

im really keen on the combo of holland and smith , napa could give us some spark, but really we need some creativity from 6 7 9 which we havnt had for such a long time, we need a halve that can do everything control the game,

 

[Mr Invisible]

He will be very average when he gets his shot. Won’t do much wrong, but won’t win a game for us, whilst Hopa will.

Until he can learn to defend and put on some kgs, Hoppa still has the fullback role sewn up.

 

[jasonsmith11]

all we need is a dce/thurston type of playmaker, cronk and smith are way way way more important than slater

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Still not convinced hoppa wouldnt make a good ctr. One of the best at draw and pass. Good at putting ppl in space etc. I think the issue with the defence on left side in 1st half of season was due to the structure we had. Plus he had the slowest winger outside him. Thats my opinion.
Dont really understand how he can make a good winger when lack of pace is his issue.

Because on the wing Hoppa can effectively time his runs and defensive plays to the point of almost negating the issue of his lack of acceleration and agility.

His issues at right centre were also compounded by terrible defensive structures and the players around him. We left way too much space on the edges and having a combo of Montoya, Hoppa and Foran was just an absolute disaster as they just weren't capable of covering the space effectively like our more mobile left edge.

I guess e could possibly do better with better suited players around him and in a system he is more capable of executing. Either way i think he will start at centre simply because we have no one else.

 

[c-b-b]

I always have hope and will support the club to the death but I think we're in for a few lean years. These kids may come good but it will take a while and we desperately need a new 9.

I'm also not sold on the Anderson style of recruiting in this day and age but based on the salary cap issues I guess we had no other option.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

I always have hope and will support the club to the death but I think we're in for a few lean years. These kids may come good but it will take a while and we desperately need a new 9.

I'm also not sold on the Anderson style of recruiting in this day and age but based on the salary cap issues I guess we had no other option.

Dumping Foran and replacing him with a fit creative spine player would be absolutely massive for us.

 

[Isaac]

Canterbury appear to have an eye on the future having been big players in the transfer market for the 2019 season.

The club have lost a wealth of experience while gaining stacks of potential stars.

With a new-look roster and plenty of youth at Belmore, the Dogs loom as an intriguing prospect for the upcoming season.

Full squad

1. Adam Elliott, 2. Aiden Tolman, 3. Brandon Wakeham, 4. Chris Smith, 5. Christian Chrichton, 6. Corey Harawira-Naera, 7. Danny Fualalo, 8. David Klemmer, 9. Fa’Amanu Brown, 10. Francis Tualau, 11. Jack Cogger, 12. Jayden Okunbor, 13. Jeremy Marshall-King, 14. John Olive, 15. Josh Jackson, 16. Kerrod Holland, 17. Kieran Foran, 18. Lachlan Lewis, 19. Marcelo Montoya, 20. Michael Lichaa, 21. Nick Meaney, 22. Ofahiki Ogden, 23. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 24. Reimis Smith, 25. Renouf To’omaga, 26. Rhyse Martin, 27. Sauaso Sue, 28. Will Hopoate, 29. Zac Saddler

Ins

Jack Cogger (Newcastle Knights, 2020), Christian Crichton (Penrith Panthers, 2021), Corey Harawira-Naera (Penrith Panthers, 2022), Nick Meaney (Newcastle Knights, 2021), James Roumanos (Cronulla Sharks, 2021), Chris Smith (Sydney Roosters, 2020), Sauaso Sue (Wests Tigers, 2020)

Outs

Greg Eastwood (released), Asipeli Fine (released), Matt Frawley (Huddersfield Giants), Moses Mbye (Wests Tigers), Brett Morris (Sydney Roosters), Josh Morris (Cronulla Sharks), Clay Priest (released), Aaron Woods (Cronulla Sharks), Zac Woolford (Newcastle Knights)

Recruitment strength

Canterbury are going through the early stages of a rebuild not at all dissimilar to what Newcastle have experienced in recent years, and their recruitment is reflective of that. They’ve lost plenty of experience in the Morris twins and Aaron Woods, while they’ve signed several young prospects with enormous potential.

The likes of Jack Cogger and Nick Meaney could be stars of the future, but are likely to need a full-season under their belts before truly hitting their straps.

Corey Harawira-Naera and Christian Crichton had strong years at Penrith in 2018 and look as though they’ll add tremendous value at Belmore.

Best 17

1. Nick Meaney, 2. Christian Chrichton, 3. Will Hopoate, 4. Kerrod Holland, 5. Reimis Smith, 6. Lachlan Lewis, 7. Kieran Foran, 8. David Klemmer, 9. Michael Lichaa, 10. Aiden Tolman, 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 13. Rhyse Martin. Interchange: 14. Jeremy Marshall-King, 15. Corey Harawira-Naera, 16. Adam Elliott, 17. Sauaso Sue

Forwards

Should David Klemmer remain at the club, Canterbury look quite strong in the engine room. Harawira-Naera is a serious talent and could easily win his way into a starting edge role prior to the season opener. He’ll provide plenty of energy off the bench alongside Adam Elliott and recruit Sauaso Sue. Michael Lichaa lacks creativity around the ruck and desperately needs a breakout year to solidify his future in the NRL.

Backs

The consistent Will Hopoate is probably the Dogs best option at fullback. However, with highly touted youngster Nick Meaney joining from Newcastle and the club having one eye towards the future, it could suit the balance of the side to play Hopoate at centre.

Reimis Smith evolved into an electric winger at the backend of last season that saw him win four straight man-of-the-match awards for the Dogs.

Canterbury should be aiming to utilise his speed and strength by giving him a licence to roam in and around the ruck, much like Canberra do with Jordan Rapana.

Will enough space be created out wide to give himself and Crichton decent opportunities to weave any magic?

Spine

The Dogs looks to be facing the same old issue that’s plagued them in recent years of where they’ll conjure their points. Kieran Foran remains at the club for now, but he’s been strongly linked to a return to Manly under former mentor Des Hasler.

Provided Foran remains in blue and white, his wearying body will be put through the ringer in pre-season to determine whether he’s still capable of competing in the top grade. It could be a tough season for the Dogs, so Dean Pay may be tempted at some stage to look towards 2020 by starting Cogger over Foran, and Meaney at fullback ahead of Hopoate.

Regardless, there’s plenty of options if combinations fail to fire.

Where they’re lacking

Outside of Will Hopoate, who isn’t exactly a creative genius, the Canterbury spine lacks class. All men are very capable first-graders, but together they lack the quality to conjure points.

In recent years the shuffled playmaking quartet have looked in slow motion during attacking raids.

Dean Pay needs to get the side playing flatter and quicker to put the opposition under pressure and force them into making defensive decisions.

It’s something Foran is more than capable of if he can get his body fit enough to compete on a weekly basis.


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...n/news-story/5532c129728bea9cb5dfe970b5bcddb2

It’s good to think the dogs are under rated, but I think Lachlan Lewis and Keiran Foran will shock everyone next season. It’s good that a lot of people are bagging the dogs out but what Lachlan Lewis did last season is only the beginning.