Canterbury Bulldogs 2021 NRL season preview: New signings key to reigniting club’s fortunes
It’s been a long four seasons since the Bulldogs graced the NRL finals, with 2020 representing a desperate low for the club. Can one recruit in particular help turn around their fortunes?
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After their worst season in terms of winning percentage in decades, the Bulldogs have ushered in a new coach and a host of new players in a bid to revive the club’s fortunes in 2021.
James Phelps takes a look at how the Bulldogs are shaping up for next season.
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2020 ladder position: 15th.
Ins: Nick Cotric (Raiders), Kyle Flanagan (Roosters), Corey Waddell (Sea Eagles), Jack Hetherington (Panthers).
Outs: Jack Cogger (released), Kieran Foran (Sea Eagles), Kerrod Holland (retired), Tim Lafai (released), Marcelo Montoya (New Zealand Warriors), Reimis Smith (Storm), Sauaso Sue (Knights), Isaiah Tass (released), Aiden Tolman (Sharks).
Players in the 2020 Rich 100: 3 — 43. Josh Jackson ($700,000), 58. Dylan Napa ($650,000), 81. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak ($550,000).
Coach status: Trent Barrett jumps straight into the fire after signing on to save the club that has been an NRL basket case for the past four years. With the Bulldogs last making the finals in 2016, the club has lurched from one crisis to another since parting with Des Hasler in 2017.
Rather than going for an experienced coach with a history of success, the Bulldogs have hired Barrett, who has an NRL winning percentage of just 40 per cent. Barrett quit as Manly coach in 2018 after just two years at the helm of another club mired in turmoil.
He joined Penrith as an assistant this year and was credited with igniting the minor premiers’ attack. Barrett has only had a hand in the club’s most recent signings and will inherit a squad that could make or break his coaching career.
His coaching staff acquisitions, however, have been impressive. His assistants in David Furner, Craig Sandercock and David Tangata-Toa bring a mix of experience, attacking nous and a focus on junior development — all things the Bulldogs desperately need.
What is their game plan, and how do they need to tweak: With the worst attack in the NRL in 2020, Barrett will be on the hunt for points. While table toppers Penrith averaged 26 points a game, the Bulldogs scored more than 20 points on just four occasions last season.
Having lacked strike on the edge and a playmaker that can deliver, Barrett will be hoping recruits Nick Cotric and Kyle Flanagan will help the Bulldogs pile on the points.
The Bulldogs will also look to unlock the middle with the return of Adam Elliott from injury and an improved Luke Thompson likely to help their cause.
How did they go in free agency: The Bulldogs were big movers in the recruitment market but only managed to secure one State of Origin player. With an opportunity to clear the decks and sign a bevy of big names, the Bulldogs used most of their salary cap cash on retention. The exception is Nick Cotric, who has been signed to become the club’s strike weapon.
Kyle Flanagan was also recruited in a late addition after dramatically falling out of favour at the Roosters.
A replacement for Manly-bound playmaker Kieran Foran, Flanagan will be charged with executing Barrett’s new structures. His kicking game will prove to be an asset.
Will development contract upgraded kids make an impact: Back-rowers Matt Doorey and Jackson Topine are both expected to get NRL game time this year. The duo will be looking to push newcomer Jack Hetherington for a spot on the edge. Both potential breakout stars of 2021 can expect opportunities, especially after the Bulldogs ended the year by playing Josh Jackson in the middle.
Doorey, the 20-year-old Parramatta junior, and Topine, the 19-year-old who was named the Bulldogs’ club person of the year in 2020, are the kind of talents the Bulldogs hope will step up in 2021.
What players can they reinvent: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will be under pressure to replicate the form he showed when he first came to the club in 2019.
On big money and recruited to the club as a fullback, Watene-Zelezniak was shifted to the wing after failing to make the same impact. Tangata-Toa worked with Watene-Zelezniak in Penrith’s under-20s system and could be the key to unlocking the form that took DWZ to the New Zealand captaincy.
Young star Jake Averillo, despite being groomed as a potential centre/five-eighth, could be a potential fullback option for the Bulldogs, who also have Flanagan, Lachlan Lewis and Brandon Wakeham as halves options.
Jackson may also make a permanent move to the middle with the once formidable edge weapon losing his strike power with age.
Who takes the next step: Luke Thompson. Once labelled the ‘best prop in the world’, the English recruit is yet to prove himself as the rampaging prop that skittled the UK Super League. Landing at Belmore ahead of schedule in a COVID-caused queue, Thompson was solid in all his games but certainly not spectacular. Thompson will have no excuses with a full NRL pre-season under his belt.
The best 17 for 2021
1. Jake Averillo
2. Jayden Okunbor
3. Will Hopoate
4. Nick Cotric
5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
6. Brandon Wakeham
7. Kyle Flanagan
8. Luke Thompson
9. Jeremy Marshall-King
10. Dylan Napa
11. Josh Jackson
12. Chris Smith
13. Adam Elliott
14. Ofahiki Ogden
15. Jack Hetherington
16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
17. Corey Waddell
2021 squad: Jake Averillo, Dean Britt, Nick Cotric, Christian Crichton, Adam Elliott, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Kyle Flanagan, Jack Hetherington, Will Hopoate, Josh Jackson, Sione Katoa, Lachlan Lewis, Jeremy Marshall-King, Nick Meaney, Dylan Napa, Ofahiki Ogden, Jayden Okunbor, Chris Smith, Joe Stimson, Renouf To’omaga, Corey Waddell, Brandon Wakeham, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Luke Thompson.
Fox Sports Lab’s Aaron Wallace says: 2020 was the worst Bulldogs season in terms of winning percentage since 1964, when they won just one match. They won just three games all season and scored more than three tries only three times. Not all hope is lost though, seven times their defeats were by six points or fewer – meaning even a slight improvement under new coach Trent Barrett could propel them back into finals contention.
Finish the last five years: 7th, 11th, 12th, 12th, 15th.
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