Monday Buzz: NRL 2023 draw shows how poorly Channel 9 rates the Bulldogs

Analysis of the 2023 NRL draw shows how badly the Bulldogs have been snubbed when it comes to time in the broadcast spotlight. See how your club fared

Canterbury Bulldogs NRL General Manager of Football Phil Gould. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Channel 9 obviously don’t rate the Canterbury Bulldogs.

While most are expecting highly regarded new coach Cameron Ciraldo to lift the club into finals contention, the free to air network doesn’t.

How else can you explain the fact that Canterbury is the only club in the competition not to get a prime-time TV slot on Thursday or Friday nights in 2023. Not even one.

We wonder what the Dogs’ general manager of football and Nine’s veteran commentator Phil Gould thinks of the snubbing. Maybe he’s lost his sway at the network.

Even the Warriors, Knights and Titans, three clubs expected to be wooden-spoon contenders, have scored a match in the best timeslot for their sponsors.

The Dogs are entering the season with huge expectations following the signing of second-rower Billy Kikau from the Panthers and Reed Mahoney from the Parramatta Eels.

However it obviously doesn’t help that they’ve finished 11th, 12th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 12th in their last six seasons and hardly played any attractive footy.

While the Dogs have been left out of the picture, newcomers the Dolphins have been given six matches in prime time on Thursday and Friday nights.

That’s why the draw is now called a TV schedule. It’s to get Nine more viewers in Queensland.

All up Wayne Bennett’s team has 10 games on Channel 9 – two Thursday nights, four Friday nights, three Sunday afternoons and a Saturday night late in the season.

Even the perennial strugglers the Wests Tigers have got five games in the good timeslots.

It’s absolutely no shock that the Brisbane Broncos have 12 games in prime time – the most of any club in the competition. The Panthers and Eels are next with 11.

The Broncos and the Cowboys are the only two clubs without the least favourable Friday night 6pm game.

The Bulldogs have got eight games in the 2pm timeslot on Sundays, exclusive to Fox Sports.

They at least get five free-to-air matches on Sunday afternoons but the timeslot attracts nowhere near the audience of a Thursday or Friday night match.

Interestingly the Bulldogs are not blowing up about it.

“It’s a necessary evil and it’s where we’re at,” said chief executive Aaron Warburton.

“I actually reckon Fox Sports will be happy about us getting the raw end.

“I’d love two or three in prime time but it’s all about where we’ve been the last few years.”

Warburton says it can actually be a bonus for their army of Bulldogs supporters.

“Night games aren’t great for getting in and out of stadiums in Sydney,” he said, “you can get home as late as midnight and that’s hard with kids.

“We’ve actually got 15 Sunday games. These are more family friendly times.”