Bulldogs to exploit salary cap to attract NRL’s biggest stars

Canterbury’s time on the fringes of the NRL could rapidly come to an end, with the Belmore club set to exploit their departing roster to attract some of the biggest names in the NRL.

The Bulldogs hope to rebuild with some of the NRL's biggest stars.

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Canterbury will have an unprecedented $8.5m war chest to chase some of the NRL’s biggest names — including the Trbojevic brothers and Kalyn Ponga — after next season.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Bulldogs have just two senior players signed beyond the end of next year — prop Dylan Napa (2021) and forward Corey Harawira-Naera (2022).

While club officials expect success to be difficult over the next 18 months, Canterbury is planning to totally reinvigorate their playing roster in a desperate attempt to become a rugby league powerhouse once again.

Life at the Bulldogs has been tough recently. Image: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Virtually all the current playing roster will either come off contract or be shopped around over the next year-and-a-half.

That would leave Canterbury with a war chest of between $8m to $8.5m to hunt down some of the game’s elite. The club will have the financial muscle to target any superstar player.

And no other NRL club will have such an extraordinary amount of space under their salary cap.

Canterbury players coming off contract over the next 18 months include Kieran Foran, Josh Jackson, Adam Elliott, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Marcelo Montoya, Will Hopoate, Lachlan Lewis, Reimis Smith, Jack Cogger, Rhyse Martin, Sauaso Sue, Aiden Tolman and new recruit Dallin Waetene-Zeleniak.

What would the Dogs have to do to tempt Ponga? Image: Tony Feder/Getty Images

Bulldogs players will play Monday afternoon’s game against St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium aware they must perform or perish at Belmore.

Canterbury is closely monitoring the futures of Newcastle’s Ponga and Manly’s Tom and Jake Trbojevic. The Bulldogs know they urgently require a marquee player.

The Trbojevic brothers are free agents from November 1 and come off contract after next season.

Sea Eagles officials will be absolutely desperate to lock both down before the pair have an opportunity to test themselves on the open market where massive offers would await.

NRL recruitment and list managers believe Jake would be worth $700,000 a season while Tom could attract offers around $850,000 a year.

Could they really prise Tom Trbojevic out of Manly? Image: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Ponga still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his current deal but has become the hottest property in the game.

Newcastle still hasn’t upgraded Ponga, the player and club not having discussed the matter for the past three weeks.

The Bulldogs can’t legally make offers to the Trbojevic brothers or Ponga but the players have been quietly discussed inside the club’s Belmore bunker.

One well-placed source close to Canterbury said: “The Dogs will be very active. There isn’t a lot the club can do before 2021 but come the end of 2020, there is a lot they can do.

Napa is one of the club’s few genuine stars. Image: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“The Bulldogs will be as active as anyone else in the market. Canterbury has a winning DNA. Coming last — where they sit now — doesn’t sit well at Belmore. They will have as much money as any other club — if not more.

“There will still be some tough days ahead over the next year-and-a-half — there isn’t a lot the club can do about that — but then they will have a huge chunk of money on their books.”

Insiders close to Canterbury suggest every NRL club would be observing the Trbojevic situation.

Lesser known Canterbury players Christian Crichton, Nick Meany, Jayden Okunbor are also contracted until the end of 2021.

Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill could not contacted for comment.

Originally published as Bulldogs to exploit salary cap to attract NRL’s biggest stars