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Exclusive: Andrew Johns lists the recruits Bulldogs should buy to rebuild around
By Ben Glover
How to rebuild the Bulldogs
Bulldogs coach Dean Pay has admitted his club need to recruit a big star to take them into their next phase of development and rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns says that star should be Cameron Munster.
Canterbury have hit rock bottom after making a mess of their salary cap over the last few years, leaving Pay with a roster that is the consensus pick for worst in the NRL after being forced to shed a slew of highly paid big names, most notably David Klemmer, Aaron Woods and Moses Mbye.
It took a vintage performance from former Test star Kieran Foran to lift the Bulldogs to an eye-catching Round 2 victory over the Wests Tigers but with the premiership-winning half facing a long stint on the sidelines with an ankle injury, it looms as a tough 2019 for Pay's men.
Million Dollar Man: Fast 5
Million Dollar Man: Fast 5
Having had his contract extended last week, Pay has an eye to the future and a roster rebuild similar to the one the Knights have recently been through under Nathan Brown.
Brown and the Knights turned the corner when they snagged the prize signature of Kalyn Ponga and speaking on NRL360 this week, Pay revealed he wanted to bring a franchise player of a similar calibre to Belmore.
While Munster only recently signed a new deal tying him to the Storm until 2023, Johns said he would be the ideal man to build a struggling club around, with young guns Victor Radley and Cameron Murray strong back-up plans.
"I'd be going after Munster. I think he's the perfect player who you could build a team around, Cameron Munster," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour when asked who he'd target if he was recruiting for the Bulldogs.
"If I had to buy another one or two I'd probably go Victor Radley or Cameron Murray. Both young players on the way up; those two players in particular train really hard and really rip in and that has a great affect on all the players at the club.
The number one would be Cameron Munster for sure."
While Munster is arguably the heir to the throne of Johnathan Thurston as rugby league's next generational playmaker, 21-year-old forwards Radley and Murray have also made huge impressions over the last 12 months.
However, neither would be easy to prise from the clubs who gave them their debuts with Murray on contract with the Rabbitohs until 2021 and Radley on a deal as long as Munster's after the Roosters rewarded him for an outstanding rookie year with a long-term deal.
Although the NRL player market has become very fluid in recent years, those contracts are likely to force Pay to look elsewhere.
“We’ve got a target, it may be a Kalyn Ponga, a player of that calibre, where he is a franchise player," Pay said when asked about Canterbury's rebuild.
“And you bring him to the club and there’s other players who want to come to the club and play with him. We’re always looking.”
By Ben Glover
How to rebuild the Bulldogs
Bulldogs coach Dean Pay has admitted his club need to recruit a big star to take them into their next phase of development and rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns says that star should be Cameron Munster.
Canterbury have hit rock bottom after making a mess of their salary cap over the last few years, leaving Pay with a roster that is the consensus pick for worst in the NRL after being forced to shed a slew of highly paid big names, most notably David Klemmer, Aaron Woods and Moses Mbye.
It took a vintage performance from former Test star Kieran Foran to lift the Bulldogs to an eye-catching Round 2 victory over the Wests Tigers but with the premiership-winning half facing a long stint on the sidelines with an ankle injury, it looms as a tough 2019 for Pay's men.
Million Dollar Man: Fast 5
Million Dollar Man: Fast 5
Having had his contract extended last week, Pay has an eye to the future and a roster rebuild similar to the one the Knights have recently been through under Nathan Brown.
Brown and the Knights turned the corner when they snagged the prize signature of Kalyn Ponga and speaking on NRL360 this week, Pay revealed he wanted to bring a franchise player of a similar calibre to Belmore.
While Munster only recently signed a new deal tying him to the Storm until 2023, Johns said he would be the ideal man to build a struggling club around, with young guns Victor Radley and Cameron Murray strong back-up plans.
"I'd be going after Munster. I think he's the perfect player who you could build a team around, Cameron Munster," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour when asked who he'd target if he was recruiting for the Bulldogs.
"If I had to buy another one or two I'd probably go Victor Radley or Cameron Murray. Both young players on the way up; those two players in particular train really hard and really rip in and that has a great affect on all the players at the club.
The number one would be Cameron Munster for sure."
While Munster is arguably the heir to the throne of Johnathan Thurston as rugby league's next generational playmaker, 21-year-old forwards Radley and Murray have also made huge impressions over the last 12 months.
However, neither would be easy to prise from the clubs who gave them their debuts with Murray on contract with the Rabbitohs until 2021 and Radley on a deal as long as Munster's after the Roosters rewarded him for an outstanding rookie year with a long-term deal.
Although the NRL player market has become very fluid in recent years, those contracts are likely to force Pay to look elsewhere.
“We’ve got a target, it may be a Kalyn Ponga, a player of that calibre, where he is a franchise player," Pay said when asked about Canterbury's rebuild.
“And you bring him to the club and there’s other players who want to come to the club and play with him. We’re always looking.”
