Which of these queries might prevent the Bulldogs from winning in 2024?
The Canterbury Bulldogs will finally have a chance to turn things around in 2024.
In short, the days of making excuses are done. Numerous players have been signed by the team, and second-year coach Cameron Ciraldo and seasoned head coach Phil Gould can already claim to have developed this group.
Thus, it is necessary to anticipate performances. Gould consistently maintained a realistic outlook of the Bulldogs’ potential in 2023 as they proceeded with their rebuild. Injury and suspension setbacks further damaged the team, but they assembled a roster with plenty of depth for2024.
The Belmore team has undoubtedly drawn criticism for their utility signing binge, but they have also made a lot of noise outside the building indicating that each of those players has a role. If some of the other young players at the club keep improving, the Bulldogs will almost certainly finish in the top eight this season.
Canterbury needs to successfully respond to these urgent questions by 2024.
What role do the utilities play?
The Bulldogs have signed utilities for the majority of the past 12 months, as has been widely reported. Not necessarily players without a preferred position, but rather players with versatility in their responsibilities.
It has been something of a head scratcher, just the sheer number of players they have signed who seemingly have been picked up as the number 14.
That becomes even more so the case when you consider their biggest need has appeared to realistically be in the forwards – more on this later.
It’s unknown how all of Drew Hutchison, Kurt Mann, Jaeman Salmon, Blake Taaffe, Connor Tracey, and backup hooker Jake Turpin will fit in at the club when they all arrive in 2024.
At their previous teams, the majority of the group held starting responsibilities, or at least supporting ones.
However, Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton, a new addition from the Penrith Panthers, are expected to constitute two important elements of the spine at fullback and five-eighth at Belmore. Thus, Blake Taaffe and Connor Tracey might be forced to the outside, and Drew Hutchison has a chance to wear 14.
Kurt Mann would start at lock if Hutchison or even Taaffe took the 14, but it’s unclear whether coach Ciraldo will be able to implement that plan given Josh Curran’s signing. All of that, along with Mann’s ability to play at dummy half, which he spent a lot of time doing in Newcastle in 2023, will likely leave Turpin outside the starting lineup.
