The Canterbury Bulldogs’ recruitment strategy in recent years has backfired.
Cameron Ciraldo’s intimate relationship with Penrith players has resulted in the big-money signings of Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau, and Matt Burton.
However, they are striking weapons, not makers.
Take a look at the halves the Bulldogs have employed since Phil Gould arrived in 2021.
Drew Hutchison, Toby Sexton, Kyle Flanagan, Matt Burton, Jake Averill, and Brandon Wakeham.
They poured millions at Mitchell Moses and attempted to sign Shaun Johnson. Both passed.
They also tried Ben Hunt, who was dissatisfied and restless at the Dragons.
The Bulldogs would have beaten Souths on Good Friday if their playmaking options had been more effective.
They won the penalties 11-6, had 57% possession, and made 42 tackles in the opposition’s 20m, compared to 18 by Souths.
However, there was no one to manage the attack.
Many times, the Rabbitohs appeared vulnerable, but the Bulldogs did not capitalise.
Hutchison is a goer who works hard every week.
But he isn’t a consistent NRL halfback.
They lack cohesiveness and communication.
There’s no doubt that this Bulldogs team is playing better and tougher than last year.
Every week, the players show up and give it their all.
However, without a competent halfback, they will struggle to ascend the NRL premiership ladder.
On Saturday night, their new chairman, Adam Driussi, took to social media to boast about another Harold Matthews (under-17s) minor premiership.
“We are committed to our strategy of investing in our pathways programs to build the NRL and NRLW Bulldogs of the future,” he went on to say.
This will not benefit their long-suffering fans.
They want results now, not a five-year plan.
The key question is what happens next for the Dogs, Gould, and Ciraldo.
Aside from Crichton, their off-season recruitment was not fantastic.
They spent over $2 million for Hutchison, Kurt Mann, Jake Turpin, Jaeman Salmon, Blake Taaffe, and Connor Tracey, all of whom were borderline starting 13 players at prior clubs.
However, none of them were specialized playmakers.
There were choices such as Jayden Sullivan, Jack Cogger, and even Brad Schneider, who was brilliant for Penrith in the Panthers’ 22-16 win over the Roosters on Thursday night.
Ciraldo believes the recruits have significantly improved the intensity, culture, and quality of training at Belmore each week.
The basic issue is that the Bulldogs are averaging just 15 points per game after the first month of competition.
Last year, they finished 15th and averaged 18 points per game.
So they’re going backwards, at least on the scoreboard, and only the addition of a quality halfback will change that.
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