Canterbury Bulldogs confirm 2025 development list

bradtalo

bradtalo

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The Canterbury Bulldogs have confirmed their development list for the 2025 NRL season as they attempt to advance past the opening week of the NRL Finals series.

The club's General Manager of Football Phil Gould, confirmed on X that six players will be on the development list for next season: Fanafou Seve, Lipoi Hopoi, Joseph O'Neill, Jonathan Sua, Sosaia Alatini, and Logan Spinks.

Re-signing with the club for another season, Joseph O'Neill played in the halves in the Jersey Flegg Cup premiership-winning team and has registered several appearances in the NSW Cup.

Although he is likely to bide his time in the lower levels for the time being, he will provide some competition in the halves and will help provide backup for Matt Burton, Toby Sexton and Mitchell Woods.

Signed until 2026 after inking a contract extension, Lipoi Hopoi made his NRL debut in Round 13 this and will look to add more first-grade matches under his belt before being promoted to the Top 30 roster in 2026.

A local junior from St George Dragons in the Canterbury Bankstown district, he successfully came through the pathways system, which included playing in the Harold Matthews Cup, SG Ball Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup.

Another player on the development list who played in the NRL this year was winger Jonathan Sua, who made his debut in Round 27 and was even considered to play in the 2024 NRL Finals against Manly after Josh Addo-Carr's late withdrawal.


The other three members on the development list are Fanafou Seve, Logan Spinks and Sosaia Alatini.

Progressing from a train and trial contract, Zero Tackle exclusively revealed that Spinks agreed to a three-year deal with the Bulldogs and will be on a development contract for the next two seasons.

Hailing from Tamworth, New South Wales, Spinks has been a part of the Bulldogs pathways system, playing for the Greater Northern Tigers in the Laurie Daley Cup and is one of the best second-rowers coming through the ranks.

Spinks is a 2023 Australian Schoolboys representative, while Fanafou Seve represented the NSW Blues in the annual U19s State of Origin match in June earlier this year and is touted for big things in the forward pack.

Bulldogs Best 17 and Full Squad for 2025
1. Connor Tracey
2. Marcelo Montoya
3. Stephen Crichton
4. Bronson Xerri
5. Jacob Kiraz
6. Matt Burton
7. Toby Sexton
8. Max King
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Samuel Hughes
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Jacob Preston
13. Kurt Mann

Interchange
14. Bailey Hayward
15. Tom Amone
16. Sitili Tupouniua
17. Josh Curran

Rest of squad
18. Karl Oloapu
19. Kitione Kautoga
20. Ryan Sutton
21. Blake Taaffe
22. Jake Turpin
23. Blake Wilson
24. Mitchell Woods
25. Daniel Suluka-Fifita
26. Jaeman Salmon
27. Harry Hayes
28. Drew Hutchison
29. Kurtis Morrin
30. Enari Tuala

2025 development list
1. Logan Spinks
2. Fanafou Seve
3. Lipoi Hopoi
4. Sosaia Alatini
5. Joseph O'Neill
6. Jonathan Sua
 
Do you by any chance know what happened to underhill I thought he was elevated to top 30
 
ibbya said:
Do you by any chance know what happened to underhill I thought he was elevated to top 30
Click to expand...
You thought wrong. He’s top 30 in 2027, which is good for us.
 
Excuse the ignorance, but what exactly is the difference with Train and Trial and development squads? Does train and trial mean the club don’t know whether to keep you or not? Basically, can both these groups mean 1st grade is possible, but if you aren’t in either of these, nor the top 30, you can’t play 1st grade??
This part always has me confused hahaha
 
bradtalo said:
The Canterbury Bulldogs have confirmed their development list for the 2025 NRL season as they attempt to advance past the opening week of the NRL Finals series.

The club's General Manager of Football Phil Gould, confirmed on X that six players will be on the development list for next season: Fanafou Seve, Lipoi Hopoi, Joseph O'Neill, Jonathan Sua, Sosaia Alatini, and Logan Spinks.

Re-signing with the club for another season, Joseph O'Neill played in the halves in the Jersey Flegg Cup premiership-winning team and has registered several appearances in the NSW Cup.

Although he is likely to bide his time in the lower levels for the time being, he will provide some competition in the halves and will help provide backup for Matt Burton, Toby Sexton and Mitchell Woods.

Signed until 2026 after inking a contract extension, Lipoi Hopoi made his NRL debut in Round 13 this and will look to add more first-grade matches under his belt before being promoted to the Top 30 roster in 2026.

A local junior from St George Dragons in the Canterbury Bankstown district, he successfully came through the pathways system, which included playing in the Harold Matthews Cup, SG Ball Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup.

Another player on the development list who played in the NRL this year was winger Jonathan Sua, who made his debut in Round 27 and was even considered to play in the 2024 NRL Finals against Manly after Josh Addo-Carr's late withdrawal.


The other three members on the development list are Fanafou Seve, Logan Spinks and Sosaia Alatini.

Progressing from a train and trial contract, Zero Tackle exclusively revealed that Spinks agreed to a three-year deal with the Bulldogs and will be on a development contract for the next two seasons.

Hailing from Tamworth, New South Wales, Spinks has been a part of the Bulldogs pathways system, playing for the Greater Northern Tigers in the Laurie Daley Cup and is one of the best second-rowers coming through the ranks.

Spinks is a 2023 Australian Schoolboys representative, while Fanafou Seve represented the NSW Blues in the annual U19s State of Origin match in June earlier this year and is touted for big things in the forward pack.

Bulldogs Best 17 and Full Squad for 2025
1. Connor Tracey
2. Marcelo Montoya
3. Stephen Crichton
4. Bronson Xerri
5. Jacob Kiraz
6. Matt Burton
7. Toby Sexton
8. Max King
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Samuel Hughes
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Jacob Preston
13. Kurt Mann

Interchange
14. Bailey Hayward
15. Tom Amone
16. Sitili Tupouniua
17. Josh Curran

Rest of squad
18. Karl Oloapu
19. Kitione Kautoga
20. Ryan Sutton
21. Blake Taaffe
22. Jake Turpin
23. Blake Wilson
24. Mitchell Woods
25. Daniel Suluka-Fifita
26. Jaeman Salmon
27. Harry Hayes
28. Drew Hutchison
29. Kurtis Morrin
30. Enari Tuala

2025 development list
1. Logan Spinks
2. Fanafou Seve
3. Lipoi Hopoi
4. Sosaia Alatini
5. Joseph O'Neill
6. Jonathan Sua
Click to expand...
Gould's tweet listed 7 players. They totally ignored Pat Young from the list.
 
Where is Todd?

And can someone please give some feedback on AJ Jones.
 
Turvey Chip and Chase said:
Excuse the ignorance, but what exactly is the difference with Train and Trial and development squads? Does train and trial mean the club don’t know whether to keep you or not? Basically, can both these groups mean 1st grade is possible, but if you aren’t in either of these, nor the top 30, you can’t play 1st grade??
This part always has me confused hahaha
Click to expand...
Development players are on a min 80k and there's a salary cap around 650k for development deals. The unwritten rule is clubs have a max of 6 on development deals. They're available from Round 1.

Train & Trial players are paid $1200 per week of training and game commitments they have with the club. These deals can vary from club to club in how they structure the deals. Some lock in a player for a few weeks or maybe months. They can't play NRL until after Magic Round unless they win Top 30 or Development selection or a club is successful in an exemption due to injuries. Jacob Kiraz got his debut due to an exemption and had to wait until after Magic Round to play again.
 
Turvey Chip and Chase said:
Excuse the ignorance, but what exactly is the difference with Train and Trial and development squads? Does train and trial mean the club don’t know whether to keep you or not? Basically, can both these groups mean 1st grade is possible, but if you aren’t in either of these, nor the top 30, you can’t play 1st grade??
This part always has me confused hahaha
Click to expand...
This was the 2024 summary of Salary Cap, Supplementary players and Train and Trial, I am not aware of any changes for 2025.


1732486717527.png



Team First
 
19-22 in that list stinking up the gaff
 
BELMORE said:
You thought wrong. He’s top 30 in 2027, which is good for us.
Click to expand...
Nah he's signed until 2027, someone asked Gus earlier this year if underhill will be making first debut in 2025 and he said absolutely so that's why I'm confused
 
ibbya said:
Nah he's signed until 2027, someone asked Gus earlier this year if underhill will be making first debut in 2025 and he said absolutely so that's why I'm confused
Click to expand...

Yeh he could have made his debut I think he was elevated for 2024 because we had spots available.

He extended his contract and it’s not too 30 for 25 or 26.
 
ibbya said:
Nah he's signed until 2027, someone asked Gus earlier this year if underhill will be making first debut in 2025 and he said absolutely so that's why I'm confused
Click to expand...
BELMORE said:
Yeh he could have made his debut I think he was elevated for 2024 because we had spots available.

He extended his contract and it’s not too 30 for 25 or 26.
Click to expand...
Train & Trial players can play 3 x NRL games before the compulsory upgrade to Supplementary.


Team First
 
What exactly does Weidler mean by "development list"? There are no NRL Development Players, from 2024 they are Supplementary Players.

Maybe Weidler is including Train and Trail plus Supplementary Players as being on the "development list".


Team First
 
TwinTurbo said:
What exactly does Weidler mean by "development list"? There are no NRL Development Players, from 2024 they are Supplementary Players.

Maybe Weidler is including Train and Trail plus Supplementary Players as being on the "development list".


Team First
Click to expand...
The info being put out by media n Gus and club is confusing - top 30 includes 31 players - Supplementary 7 and train n trial 6 players. Is there a limit or cap on train n trial? - surely its not that difficult to just list top 30, list supplementary and list train n trial with a caveat of at this time n date.
 
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