The Agenda: Canterbury Bulldogs post-mortem, six burning issues at Belmore ahead of 2024

From Canterbury’s roster, the club’s internal review and the cultural problems which start at the top at Belmore, here are the six burning issues facing the Bulldogs ahead of season 2024.

NRL 2023 RD24 Newcastle Knights v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Bulldogs Dejection NRL PHOTOS

This season marks seven-straight years Canterbury has failed to make the top eight in what is the club’s worst drought in more than 60 years.

The disappointing result comes amid allegations of a fractured playing group, cultural issues and a training scandal that plunged the club into turmoil.

In this week’s The Agenda column, Fatima Kdouh looks at six burning issues facing the Bulldogs ahead of 2024.

Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton has to step up. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

REVIEW FROM THE TOP DOWN

Chairman John Khoury and CEO Aaron Warburton must step up after remaining mostly mute as club’s woes were unravelled and laid bare.

As reported by this masthead, Phil Gould will conduct an off-season internal review. But the Bulldogs need to make sure the reviewer is also thoroughly reviewed. No stone can be left unturned, including that of his role as football boss. Gould was parachuted in to right the ship – rebuild pathways, the roster and overhaul the football department. But the Bulldogs have gone backwards this season.

One thing is certain at Belmore, if the club’s leadership won’t take accountability then passionate fans will keep administrators honest.

Dogs faithful are quick to mobilise and campaign against board members and club officials who they believe can’t get the job done.

The Bulldogs are still lacking strike-power. Picture: NRL Imagery

THE ROSTER AND RECRUITS

The Bulldogs’ roster is still lacking star power in key positions like in the halves and forward pack. Toby Sexton is a stopgap halfback but if Matt Burton’s future is in the halves, he needs an experienced foil beside him. There should be a discussion about Burton’s best position and whether he’s better at centre.

Penrith’s Stephen Crichton adds X-factor and athleticism at fullback. Utilities Blake Taaffe and Jaeman Salmon will add quality and depth.

Canterbury’s due diligence will be under the microscope with Bronson Xerri and Sio Siua Taukeiaho. Xerri is an unknown commodity after four years out of the game, while Taukeiaho himself admitted injuries forced him out of the NRL.

The likes of Luke Thompson, Corey Waddell and Paul Alamoti face uncertain futures at the club.

Reed Mahoney (centre) must be given outright captaincy. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

LEADERSHIP VOID

It’s time to ditch the two on-field skippers and give hooker Reed Mahoney the sole captaincy.

Mahoney’s frustrations were quick to boil to the surface at times this year but there isn’t a Bulldog that tried or played harder than No.9. That effort is exactly the quality a coach wants in his captain.

Matt Burton was the other on-field skipper this season. But Burton has struggled to find his voice as a playmaker this year let alone as a captain. It’s a responsibility given too soon.

Back-rower Jacob Preston is a future leader but is still a rookie.

The depth of the leadership void was exposed by the retirement of workhorse and skipper Josh Jackson, who called time with a year left on his deal.

Management insisted Jackson’s shock retirement was purely his own, dictated by his body and not any salary cap pressures at the club.

If Jackson was allowed to be a salary cap martyr, the call shapes as one of the more egregious roster moves at the club in recent times given how sorely they missed his leadership.

Cameron Ciraldo has a job ahead of him to fix the team’s defence. Picture: NRL Imagery

THE COACH AND CULTURE

Coach Cameron Ciraldo has to build trust before re-building the culture at Belmore. Ciraldo knows what it takes to build a winning culture, he was a key architect at Penrith but where he had a vital commodity - the players trusted him. It took Ciraldo years to build that trust, he coached Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Dylan Edwards and James Fisher-Harris - and others - in their junior years. So when it came to whipping them into shape at NRL level with an uncompromising defensive approach and pushing them to their limits, players not only trusted but believed in Ciraldo’s vision. On paper, Ciraldo has time to build trust - he’s only one year into a five year deal. But he needs stability in the roster, almost 40 players have turned over since 2021.

DEFENCE

Ciraldo’s hardest job over the summer will be to whip Canterbury’s defence into shape.

The Bulldogs’ shocking defence in 2023 was the first real sign that something was amiss at Belmore.

The Bulldogs have conceded 769 points this year, which is the second-worst defence record in Canterbury’s history. Sunday’s 34-30 loss to the Gold Coast Titans is the first time a Canterbury outfit has conceded over 20 points in 12 consecutive games.

Defence is a product of attitude and the statistics paint a clear picture – that the buy-in from players under Ciraldo was simply not there.

Canterbury’s implosion wasn’t instantaneous, it had been brewing for months and worryingly Ciraldo wasn’t able to correct the course his side was on.

Joash Papalii is a young star in the Jersey Flegg. Credit: NRL Imagery

REASON FOR HOPE

A 44-22 win against Cronulla has catapulted Canterbury’s Jersey Flegg side into the preliminary final on Sunday.

For disgruntled Bulldogs fans, the under-21s outfit is a hopeful glimpse at the youngsters that should be making a play for a spot in the NRL side in 2024.

One in particular is fullback Joash Papalii, who starred in the win over the Sharks and was a constant threat in attack, scoring a try and nailing all seven conversions and a penalty goal.

Papalii is behind Crichton and Taaffe in the fullback stakes but a spot on the edge isn’t an unrealistic expectation next season. A St Johns Eagles junior, Papalii is strong, has explosive speed, a decent passing game and killer left foot step.

Originally published as The Agenda: Canterbury Bulldogs post-mortem, six burning issues at Belmore ahead of 2024