EXCLUSIVE: Bulldogs roster a $9 million red flag on NRL expansion, Paul Gallen says

Bulldogsforlife23

Kennel Established
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Messages
781
Reaction score
945
NRL great PAUL GALLEN will appear on Nine's 100% FOOTY on Monday night, debating rugby league's hottest topics alongside Phil Gould and James Bracey. Tune in from 9.45pm AEST, following all the action of Round 22!

How do the Bulldogs, who have all but won the wooden spoon with three games remaining, spend $9 million on the players in their team?

I say that with respect. The Dogs are a team that go out and have a crack every weekend, they are rarely beaten on effort - yet the talent just isn't there.


With talk back on the table about expanding the NRL, it's an important point. Where are we suddenly going to find another 30 players, another supposed $9 million worth of talent, to fill another team?

It would almost be like going back to the Super League days, where certain blokes are getting ridiculous contracts just for the sake of it.


The Bulldogs look dejected after being beaten 66-0 by Manly this season. (Getty)
Andrew Johns has always maintained that the NRL should reduce the number of teams, to strengthen the standard across the competition. While I've never been a fan of that, believing that all the existing clubs deserve their spot, I certainly understand the argument as opposed to further diluting the talent pool.

I think expansion, with the current playing talent that we have, would be crazy.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Recommended by
The Remedy to Sleepless NightsSPONS

You have to remember that we're going through a unique time in the world. We're locked down again and there is no second-tier football being played. No junior football, either.

Where do players learn their craft, where do we find the improvement in the talent pool, when there's no football outside of the NRL? I worry about the standard of football in the existing NRL in coming seasons, let alone trying to bring
another team in.

You have a proud club like the Bulldogs, with a team who bust their backsides each weekend, unable to compete purely because they don't have enough talent in their side. The enthusiasm and effort are there for all to see but they just aren't up to standard.

How, under those circumstances, can you possibly bring in a 17th team?
BULLDOGS TO REBOUND FROM ROCK BOTTOM
Three wins behind 15th spot with three games remaining, and with a differential of -384, the wooden spoon is headed to Canterbury.

But at least there is hope for improvement next season and beyond.

I don't see them becoming a top-eight team just one year after winning the spoon but there are some really good players going there.

Tevita Pangai Jr could still become a great player. His physique, his skill, his ability – he's got it all. He just needs to start living up to his potential.

If he can do that, he'll be huge for them. He was born in the western suburbs, so his journey has come full circle and hopefully he'll be inspired to deliver his best.
People might look at some of the Bulldogs' recruits – Pangai Jr, Matt Dufty, Brent Naden, Paul Vaughan – and wonder about a struggling club signing players with past dirty laundry. I really don't think it's a concern. If there is an element of that, it should just mean that those guys want to prove themselves.

Matt Dufty is a good player. I don't know what's gone on with him at the Dragons but he's a genuine talent. Paul Vaughan over the years hasn't found himself in too much strife, until this season's serious biosecurity breach. He paid a heavy price for that and there comes a time where everyone needs to get over it; forgive, even if you don't forget.

Brent Naden also paid the price for something that happened nearly 12 months ago now. He's been back playing this season. I don't think it would be fair to hold anything against those guys. Their biggest issue will be fitting in with the club's culture and their teammates. They are all players who can lift a squad that badly needs improvement.

Josh Addo-Carr – well, The Foxx is The Foxx. He's been brilliant again this season. Whether he wants to play fullback or wing at Canterbury, I'm not sure, but he remains an Origin and Test-class player.
Matt Burton is headed there to play five-eighth and you'd hope that he'll be great. The only issue is, who pairs with him in the halves?

Burton is still young himself and when he plays in the halves at Penrith, he's playing with the best in the competition; either Nathan Cleary or Jarome Luai. At the Bulldogs, there's going to be a fair bit of pressure on Matty Burton to direct that team around the park.

My take on him is that he's a runner of the ball, rather than an organiser, though I'm certainly not saying that he doesn't have those organisational skills. I think running halves are essential for the type of football we're seeing in the NRL at the moment; a playmaker who will take the line on, which is Matt Burton, without a doubt.

You'd hope that he'll be able to rely on whoever his halfback is to help steer the team around. You'd like to see the No.7 be the general and just let Burton play his natural game, with his running and kicking. He's a dynamic player with speed, size, strength and footwork; Penrith's leading try-scorer this season (15) despite mostly playing out of position at centre.

If you can get that halves partner right, you'd hope he'll be a fantastic signing for the Dogs.

I still think there's hope that Kyle Flanagan can be that player. Trent Barrett and Phil Gould have both come out and said as much.

It would be harsh to cast blame for Canterbury's plight on Kyle. For one thing, when he hasn't played, they haven't gone any better.

It's just head down, bum up time for Kyle. He just needs to be as positive as he can in the circumstances and keep trying his best. You never know what can happen.
And who knows what the Bulldogs might be able to do next season, given how the NRL looks at the moment?
There are six teams who are clearly ahead of the rest, with Melbourne and Penrith standouts at the top. Apart from that, it's pretty up in the air. If you're a Dogs fan, you'd at least be hoping to see this team fighting it out for the back end of the top eight.
There's some hope there of a faster turnaround than many think, at least in terms of them being competitive again.
The Bulldogs are a club that's always had money and pulling power. Having guys like Trent Barrett and Phil Gould there only adds to that.
Look again at the players they've signed, when they're running last. Had it been the Wests Tigers in that position, there's no way they would have signed half of those guys.
Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett. (Getty)
The Canterbury Bulldogs have always had an aura about them. They've always had the ability to attract players. Throw on top of that the money and the facilities they have, and they have the chance to recruit big-name players regardless of where they are on the ladder.
As for the impact of Phil Gould on the club, I think that's something that we'll see more in seasons to come.
Gus is as big a figure, as big a personality, as we have in the game. But even he can't turn around a club overnight.
Gus went to Penrith in 2011 with what was branded a five-year plan and it took every bit of that timeframe for them to become consistently competitive again. It took about 10 years to make the Panthers premiership contenders.
Gus' philosophy is to develop your club and your team from within. He believes that's how you create good culture and a winning football team, and Penrith's current success is proof.
But Penrith also proved that that kind of complete rebuild, one that can take you to the top of the ladder, doesn't happen instantly. It's a long-term strategy.
As Gus says, if you add marquee recruits on top of the long-term strategy of developing your own players, then you're in business.
Phil Gould after resigning as Panthers general manager in 2019. (Sydney Morning Herald)
There are some good shoots coming through at the Bulldogs. I like the look of their young centre, Aaron Schoupp. He's a good talent. There are players coming through.
The Bulldogs remain a powerful club. Even in a season where they're running last, they're still recruiting good players; so they'll certainly have no problems doing that when things improve. There's reason for hope that they'll become a force on the field again soon enough and players will want to be a part of that.
Trent Barrett can certainly be the man to lead them into that brighter future. He's got a multi-year coaching deal and with he can start to turn things around next season with a better roster.
It would be unfair for him to be judged on this season and I don't think he will be by the Bulldogs.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
 

c-b-b

Kennel Addict
Premium Member
Gilded
Joined
Apr 23, 2014
Messages
7,386
Reaction score
12,689
Not much to take from the article. He says players will be overpaid if another team comes in, it's already the case now, some players are earning far too much based on what talent they have. Every team needs to use their cap and someone will come last every year, can't take much from that point. He's defending players with issues in their past, can completely understand someone like him saying that too based on his history.
 

bradyk

Kennel Immortal
Premium Member
2 x NF H2H Champ
NF Top Scorer
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Messages
15,746
Reaction score
18,937
We spent too much money (overs) on low-mid range players (e.g. Stimson's, Allan's, Waddell's, throw whoever you want in here). We're the ones that haven't managed our cap properly after royally F'ing it up under Castle and Dib. We would of been better off with minimum wage players + marquees. I haven't read the article but Gallen always goes on about there isn't enough talent in the NRL for another team, that's just BS. We'd be better off right now signing a whole new team from players outside other clubs best 17's. A new team in the NRL would be in a better position than us because we can't do the prior.
 

Jai81

Kennel Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
1,245
Reaction score
1,461
We spent too much money (overs) on low-mid range players (e.g. Stimson's, Allan's, Waddell's, throw whoever you want in here). We're the ones that haven't managed our cap properly after royally F'ing it up under Castle and Dib. We would of been better off with minimum wage players + marquees. I haven't read the article but Gallen always goes on about there isn't enough talent in the NRL for another team, that's just BS. We'd be better off right now signing a whole new team from players outside other clubs best 17's. A new team in the NRL would be in a better position than us because we can't do the prior.
yep all desperation buys!
 

w00t

Kennel Addict
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
7,489
Reaction score
2,800
The problem is the requirement to spend 95% of your cap every year instead of letting it go to waste means you are quite literally FORCED to pay overs for players you don't need to.

Just scrap the god damn cap and implement financial fair play rules or something else. If certain clubs are too weak to survive then let them relocate or disappear.

13 god damn NSW teams how is this a "National" League at all?!
 

bradyk

Kennel Immortal
Premium Member
2 x NF H2H Champ
NF Top Scorer
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Messages
15,746
Reaction score
18,937
The problem is the requirement to spend 95% of your cap every year instead of letting it go to waste means you are quite literally FORCED to pay overs for players you don't need to.

Just scrap the god damn cap and implement financial fair play rules or something else. If certain clubs are too weak to survive then let them relocate or disappear.

13 god damn NSW teams how is this a "National" League at all?!
You can also front load contracts which is what every bottom team should be doing. It's the easiest way to recalibrate your salary cap (cop a few years of pain, not like we didn't anyways with our previous methods). There are probably restrictions to some extent but it's allowed.
 

alchemist

Kennel Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
4,579
Reaction score
6,393
The problem is the requirement to spend 95% of your cap every year instead of letting it go to waste means you are quite literally FORCED to pay overs for players you don't need to.

Just scrap the god damn cap and implement financial fair play rules or something else. If certain clubs are too weak to survive then let them relocate or disappear.

13 god damn NSW teams how is this a "National" League at all?!
10 NSW teams... Broncos, Cowboys and Titans (QLD), Raiders (ACT), Storm (VIC), and Warriors (NZ)

and in truth, it's our bloody comp
 

Ribo Flavin

Kennel Established
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Messages
742
Reaction score
888
There is issues with many things in the nrl ie salary cap, 3 rd party deals, fair and equal officiating. Our problems start and end in the head office. Coach turnover..sub standard player purchases.
 
Top