NRL 2020: Canterbury Bulldogs looking to bring in more news faces for 2021 season and beyond
They’ve already landed Nick Cotric and are reportedly in the hunt for at least five new faces for next season. The Bulldogs have had enough of mediocrity and are determined to be a finals threat sooner rather than later.
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Not fast enough. Not fit enough. Not strong enough. Not good enough.
These are the findings of a damning internal review that led to the sacking of Dean Pay and his entire Canterbury coaching staff.
In a brutally honest assessment that began in round two after the Bulldogs opened the 2020 NRL season with back-to-back defeats, Canterbury began a no-holds-barred investigation that examined players, coaches, systems and performances.
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News Corp can reveal the review not only found failings in coaching systems, but also revealed at least two big-name players were underperforming.
Conducted by the Bulldogs board and senior officials, it has sparked a club clean-out with as many as seven players in the firing line.
Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill confirmed details of the review as News Corp launched its own investigation into the teams that will not play finals football, starting with last-placed Canterbury.
“Conducting a review is always difficult but you need to be honest,” Hill said.
“And our performances and where we were heading were just not good enough. Unfortunately that led to some tough decisions being made with the coaching staff. We are also looking at our roster for the next season or two.
“We need to be better on and off the field. When the black-and-white answer was ‘we need to be better’ we had to take action and that is what we have done.”
THE ROSTER
Even at full strength, the Bulldogs began the year with arguably the weakest playing list in the NRL.
Adding only Melbourne’s Joe Stimson, Penrith hooker Sione Katoa and former South Sydney forward Dean Britt to the team that finished 12th in 2019, Canterbury were never expected to make the top eight.
Without a current international in their squad heading into the season, the Bulldogs’ roster was thinned further when Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harawira-Naera were stood down indefinitely for an off-field breach.
The Bulldogs were delivered another blow when Stimson joined Kieran Foran and Chris Smith on the injured list.
A season-ending injury to Adam Elliott robbed the Bulldogs of their best-performing player.
THE MOMENT ALL HOPE WAS LOST
The Bulldogs’ season was done and dusted after just seven games.
While the writing was on the wall following a 42-6 round-four loss to the Sydney Roosters, a win over St George Illawarra the week before and a two-point loss to Cronulla the week after provided promise.
All hope was lost, though, when the Wests Tigers mauled the Bulldogs 34-6 at Bankwest Stadium.
THE COACH
That season-crippling loss to the Tigers also cost Dean Pay his job.
Although they didn’t pull the trigger until Brisbane beat them 26-8 two weeks later, the Bulldogs privately made the decision to sack Pay after he slumped to his 36th loss since taking over from Des Hasler in 2018.
“Making decisions around head coaches are among the toughest decisions that are made,” Hill said.
“Dean gave everything to the club and we will always be thankful but after four or five years of not making the finals we had to make a decision.”
While the Bulldogs were not expecting Pay to deliver the club a premiership, they had demanded improvement. And that was always going to be a tough ask given he was only able to add three modest signings to the team that overachieved to finish 12th.
THE ANALYSIS
A pointscoring problem has been identified as the Bulldogs’ major failure as Canterbury struggle with the worst attack in the NRL.
While table toppers Penrith average 26 points a game, the Bulldogs have scored more than 20 points on just four occasions.
While their defence is better than all three Queensland teams, Canterbury are in danger of landing the wooden spoon after scoring just 222 points.
Lacking strike on the edge and a playmaker that can deliver, the Bulldogs also have the NRL’s worst ‘red zone’ attack.
While the Sharks only need an average of 8.2 tackles to score from inside the opposition’s 20m, the Bulldogs require an NRL-worst 17 tackles to come up with a try.
The Bulldogs’ left-side defence has also been a problem with the club conceding an NRL-worst 34 tries down the left flank.
The Bulldogs are also the only team to concede more than 1600 metres per game.
The pointscoring failure has already cost Foran his Bulldogs career with the club pulling a new one-year offer and signing veteran Blake Green instead.
THE FIGHT
It has not been all doom and gloom for the Bulldogs.
While they may have only won three games, the Bulldogs have lost seven of their games by a converted try or less. And being beaten by 20 or more points just three times, no one can question the club’s willingness to fight.
“The resilience of the playing squad has come through,” Hill said.
“The effort is there for everyone to see.”
THE GOOD
Canterbury have unearthed two potential stars with Jake Averillo and Matt Doorey bursting onto the NRL scene.
“We have some exciting prospects coming through the system,” said Bulldogs pathways and development officer David Hamilton.
“We have a real strategy of what we have put in place and I have identified nine players that I think are capable of pushing through to the NRL. Jake is just a real natural footballer. He has done a great job but still has a long way to go. Matt Doorey is similar.
“I don’t want to throw up names but we have another couple who I think have great potential.”
Nick Meaney and Raymond Faitala-Mariner also had breakout years.
THE BAD
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been put on notice following an error-riddled season where he failed to recapture the form he showed in his first year with the Bulldogs.
Quitting the Panthers because he wanted to play fullback, the former Kiwi Test captain has already been relegated to the wing.
THE FUTURE
Trent Barrett has been anointed as the man to resurrect the Bulldogs and the complete coaching clean-out will see him bring in his own team.
“We are all looking forward to the future,” Hill said.
“And that starts with a new head coach and the opportunity for Trent to bring his own staff.”
Having already signed Canberra’s Nick Cotric in a strike power signing, Barrett could be at the helm of a new-look team with the Bulldogs still hunting for as many as five more new players.
THE TARGETS
With $1.5m left to spend, the Bulldogs are hoping to snare another big name to join Cotric at the club next year.
It can be revealed that Canterbury are circling the Storm, the Panthers and the Broncos in the hopes of snaring a contracted star.
Expecting all three clubs to be forced into offloading at least one player, Canterbury have already made discreet inquiries about players including Melbourne’s Harry Grant and Brandon Smith, Penrith’s Matt Burton, Charlie Staines and Steven Crichton and Brisbane’s Joe Ofahengaue and Patrick Carrigan.
BULLDOGS’ DREAM 17 FOR 2021
1 Jake Averillo
2 Charlie Staines
3 Will Hopoate
4 Nick Cotric
5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
6 Blake Green
7 Matt Burton
8 Ofahiki Ogden
9 Brandon Smith
10 Joe Ofahengaue
11 Josh Jackson
12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner
13 Adam Elliott
Reserves
14 Luke Thompson
15 Nick Meaney
16 Dylan Napa
17 Matt Doorey
BIGGEST WIN
22-2 v Dragons Round 4
BIGGEST LOSS
42-6 v Roosters Round 5
BEST PERFORMANCE
18-16 loss to Eels Round 12 or 18-12 win over Knights Round 11
WORST PERFORMANCE
41-10 loss to Storm Round 13