NRL 2021: Will Josh Addo-Carr play fullback at Bulldogs?

The Josh Addo-Carr contract saga has finally come to an end and the Bulldogs have addressed where the flyer will play in 2022.

Canterbury has won the race for rugby league’s fastest man, securing Josh Addo-Carr on a $2 million four-year deal.

In a huge vote of confidence in new Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett, the player regarded as the game’s best winger will join the club in 2022 when Addo-Carr finishes his current deal with Melbourne.

It continues a massive recruitment drive that has already landed Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan, Matt Burton and Jack Hetherington in recent months.

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Josh Addo-Carr has agreed to join the Bulldogs from 2022 on a lucrative four year deal. Picture: David Swift

Canterbury chief executive Andrew Hill was understandably excited about the direction the club is heading after what has been some incredibly tough years.

“It is a vote of confidence in everything that has happened in the last couple of months,” Hill said.

“Obviously there is a degree of optimism about the future of the club. And it is consistent about what we have been saying over the last year or two, that we could turn the place around, we just had to get to a position where we could control some of those decisions.

“Obviously he is the best player in his position in the world and for him to pick us is an enormous boost for the club.”

Barrett was just as excited.

“From a whole of club point of view it is huge for us,” Barrett said.

“And on the back of Cotric coming, Burton, Flanagan, Hetherington and some of the other players we have already been able to get, we are heading in the right direction.

“Josh is a try scorer and he brings a lot of personality to our team.”

Barrett said at this stage there are no plans to have Addo-Carr wearing the No.1 jersey but he is open to creating a style that makes the most of his exceptional ability.

“I have had a think about how we will use him and there is a few things we can do whether he is playing on the wing and utilise him as a fullback,” Barrett said.

“I have done it before in some of the teams I have had.

“He is just a footballer. He is a try scorer and like I said he brings some character and personality to us and I think the other blokes are going to get a lot of confidence from having someone like Josh in the team.”

So he won’t be wearing the No.1 jumper?

“That is 12 months away so I will have a look at it when he gets here but at this stage we have signed him as a winger. We all know he could play in a few positions but it is just good for us to have him.”

With Josh Addo-Carr and Nic Cotric in their side, the Bulldogs will have one of the most exciting back lines in the NRL. Picture. Phil Hillyard

The fact Addo-Carr chose the Bulldogs ahead of other rivals bidding for his signature shows confidence in Barrett given Addo-Carr comes from arguably the benchmark system at Melbourne under Craig Bellamy.

It was well known that Addo-Carr was keen to come back to Sydney and there is no denying that was the key reason for him leaving Melbourne.

But he was looking for a club that in his opinion provided a similar environment in his opinion to help him continue play rep footy.

“We are really proud that he can see what the club is building,” Hill said.

This by no means will be the end of the Bulldog’s recruitment drive.

They have also made it known they are in the hunt for a hooker and fullback to join the club going forward.

Penrith young gun Stephen Crichton is one player they are keen on along with Brandon Smith but there are other names they are keeping a closely guarded secret.