Top four statement made as Dogs mock critics with an 8-year first-year contract approaching — Hoops
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are having a party after one of the club’s most impressive wins in years completely dismantled the Brisbane Broncos and put the Dogs on course for the club’s first finals appearance in eight seasons.
The way the Bulldogs clinically shifted the ball early to punch holes in the Broncos left edge defence was the latest example of very good coaching from Cameron Ciraldo and Canterbury-Bankstown’s attack coach Jason Taylor.
The Bulldogs casualty ward containing Stephen Crichton, Josh Addo-Carr, Max King and Jaemon Salmon only made the blitzkrieg on Brisbane all the more impressive, as was the way they persevered with early shifts to both sides of the field.
If the Bulldogs have got one weakness this year it’s winning away from home but by travelling to Suncorp and torching the Broncos they’ve now set themselves for a genuine shot at a top four finish.
The Bulldogs Army will be celebrating even harder if the club can land the signature of outgoing Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu to go with Sydney Rooster Sitili Tupouniua for 2025.
The improvement in players Jacob Preston, Matt Burton, Bronson Xerri, Connor Tracey, Jacob Kiraz, Jeral Skelton and Blake Wilson was visibly on show with the way Canterbury-Bankstown’s back five did a complete demolition job on their big-name Broncos rivals.
There were numerous good judges questioning Phil Gould’s recruitment calls when the Bulldogs signed utility players like Salmon, Tracey, Kurt Mann, Josh Curran, Blake Taaffe and Drew Hutchison but over the course of the season Ciraldo has designed game plans to make it work.
Then there’s the largely unsung contribution emerging players like Sam Hughes, Kurtis Morrin, Harry Hayes and Bailey Hayward have also offered during the Dogs surge up the ladder.
The other quality element of Canterbury-Bankstown’s rise is it’s come predominantly off the back of one of the staples the success of the club was always built on – defence.
