NRL 2022: Canterbury Bulldogs season preview, roster analysis, predicted finish, round 1 best 17
The Bulldogs have added much-needed star power to their roster in 2022 but the trick for coach Trent Barrett will be ensuring the new players gel quickly and make an early impact.
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From Matt Burton to Josh Addo-Carr and Tevita Pangai Jr, the Bulldogs have got a list of new recruits as long as Belmore Road. But can coach Trent Barrett absorb the new-found pressure and quickly transform them from wooden spooners to top-eight contenders?
Fatima Kdouh takes a deep dive into how the Bulldogs are shaping up for 2022.
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FINISHES THE PAST FIVE YEARS
2021: 16th
2020: 15th
2019: 12th
2018: 12th
2017: 11th
2022 ODDS
Premiership: $23
Top four: $7
Top 8: $2.75
Most losses: $13
2022 SQUAD
Josh Addo-Carr, Paul Alamoti, Corey Allan, Jake Averillo, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Braidon Burns, Matt Burton, Josh Cook, Matt Doorey, Matt Dufty, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Kyle Flanagan, Jack Hetherington, Josh Jackson, Tui Katoa, Max King, Jeremy Marshall-King, Brent Naden, Jayden Okunbor, Tevita Pangai Junior, Aaron Schoupp, Ava Seumanufagai, Joe Stimson, Luke Thompson, Jackson Topine, Paul Vaughan, Corey Waddell, Brandon Wakeham.
INS: Matt Burton (Panthers), Josh Addo-Carr (Storm), Brent Naden (Panthers), Matt Dufty (Dragons), Paul Vaughan (Dragons), Tevita Pangai Jnr (Broncos/Panthers), Josh Cook (Rabbitohs), Max King (Storm), Braidon Burns (Rabbitohs).
OUTS: Nick Meaney (Storm), Nick Cotric (Raiders), Renouf Atoni (Roosters), Will Hopoate (St Helens), Lachlan Lewis (released), Sione Katoa (released), Dean Britt (released), Chris Smith (released), James Roumanos (released), Brad Deitz (released), Watson Heleta (released), John Asiata (released), Kiko Manu (released).
SQUAD STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
The biggest strength in Canterbury’s 30-man roster going into 2022 is genuine depth across the side. With a fit roster, players such as outside backs Aaron Schoupp and Corey Allen and forwards Ava Seumanufagai and Max King could struggle to become mainstays in the NRL side.
PLAYERS IN 2021 NRL RICH LIST: Four
41. Luke Thompson $725,000
62. Dylan Napa $650,000
72. Nick Cotric $600,000
73. Josh Jackson $600,000
COACH STATUS AND SAFETY RATING
Trent Barrett’s first year at the helm was one to forget with just three wins and a wooden spoon finish for the proud club. In Barrett’s defence, he arrived at Belmore to deal with the legacy of the club’s salary cap mess and a roster that could not compete with the rest of the competition. To Barrett’s credit, and those of his players, the Bulldogs played with effort and tried hard but did not have the class to turn effort into points. Barrett has two seasons left on his deal and recently received ultimate assurance when the club’s new general manager of football Phil Gould gave the coach his tick of approval. While Barrett’s future will ultimately be decided by results and those in higher office than the general manager, an ally like Gould can only be a good thing for Barrett’s Belmore tenure.
Safety rating: D+
WHAT THEY NEED TO TWEAK
Barrett’s 2022 game plan needs to have a single objective: finding the tryline. Again, Canterbury struggled to score tries, finishing with only 60 for the season – which was 17 tries fewer than their closest rival, the Broncos. The injection of Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton is a start but working against Barrett is time. The fresh faces at the club will need time to gel and hone their attacking plays.
FREE AGENCY WRAP
Canterbury’s roster overhaul has resulted in the club becoming one of the most active in the player market. To make for a number of high-profile signings like Addo-Carr, Burton and Tevita Pangai Jr, no less than 12 players from the 2021 squad have been shown the door, with few of them picking up contracts elsewhere. Nick Cotric was also a late exit. Picking up players such as sacked Dragons star Paul Vaughan on a discounted deal could prove one of the club’s more astute signings given the forward’s representative pedigree. Despite all the activity and having finalised their 30-man roster for next season, the Bulldogs have been unable to lock in a marquee No.9. But that problem is solved in 2023 when Parramatta’s Reed Mahoney arrives at the club.
Rating: A
WHICH PLAYER CAN THEY REINVENT?Matt Dufty
It’s not about reinventing Dufty as it is about getting the best out of the fullback on a consistent basis. Dufty’s talent is undeniable. He has speed, ball-playing skills and the ability to sniff out a gap in the defence. But Barrett’s job now is to help Dufty find the confidence needed to deliver consistently and on a weekly basis.
WILL DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT UPGRADED KIDS MAKE AN IMPACT?
Bailey Biondi-Odo’s nine games off the bench, where he scored two tries and set-up another two, helped the teenager earn the club’s Rookie of the Year award for season 2021. The skilful half is, at the very least, expected to challenge for a spot on the bench in 2022. But with Barrett’s halves equation far from settled, Biondi-Odo could emerge as a starting contender over the summer.
Jackson Topine was elevated from the development squad after making his NRL debut in 2021. Stiff competition in the forwards is likely to keep the youngster out of the top 17 but the 20-year-old is also an option at No.9.
WHO TAKES THE NEXT STEP?Jake Averillo
The local junior showed glimpses of skill and ability to create. Bulldogs fans can expect the 21-year old to take his game to another level given the new found talent that will be around him on the field — which should see him also improve on the six try assists he produced in 2021. While Barrett is yet to indicate who is likely to partner Burton in the halves, the coach has shown plenty of faith in Averillo, handing him 21 appearances in season 2021.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR …Kyle Flanagan, Jeremy Marshall-King
Flanagan was dropped on three occasions in 2021, each time lighting a fire under the speculation that Trent Barrett is looking to offload the young half, who still has two years left on his deal at Belmore. With competition for a spot in the halves to alongside Matt Burton to come from the likes of Jake Averillo, Brandon Wakeham and now Bailey Biondi-Odo, Flanagan is not only in a fight to save his Bulldogs career but potentially his NRL career.
While Marshall-King has tried to reinvent himself as a hooker, and has shown signs of improvement in his game at the ruck, it has been a long-held belief the club desperately needs an established No.9, and they have now found that in Reed Mahoney, who will join the Bulldogs from the Eels in 2023. Marshall-King has two years left on his deal and a standout season in 2022 will help guarantee the 25-year old isn’t pushed out of the 17 in season 2023.
WHERE WILL THEY FINISH IN 2022?12th
It can’t possibly get any worse than three wins and a wooden spoon, so fed-up Canterbury fans will demand a marked improvement on season 2021. But how much improvement does this outfit have in it in a matter of a single pre-season? On paper, the Bulldogs should have enough strike to be more competitive in 2022. But the recruitment drive means new faces and new combinations, giving Barrett the summer to get his fresh roster to gel in time for round one against the Cowboys. The Bulldogs also have a less than favourable draw and any chance of being in the finals equation might come down to the side’s rough 2022 schedule. 12th.
CAPTAINCY CONTENDERS
It’s hard to see any other real contender than stalwart Josh Jackson. Jackson, who succeeded James Graham, was awarded the captain’s armband in 2018 and has been the club’s leader since. The former Origin forward’s efforts on the field never waver and the 30-year old was named the club’s Player of the Year for season 2021.
FOX SPORTS LAB‘S AARON WALLACE SAYS …
The Bulldogs will be hoping 2021 was rock bottom as there is not much further to fall. Their three wins from 24 games is their equal second-worst season on record (in terms of win percentage), and their almost 30 points per game conceded is the third worst in the club’s history. They have plenty of troops on the way, however, including two grand final winners in Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr — but breaking the club’s longest finals drought since the 1960s may still be a big ask for Trent Barrett’s men.
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