The Canterbury Bulldogs are facing a deepening crisis after a disappointing Magic Round loss to the inconsistent Cronulla Sharks, extending their losing streak to five games and dropping them into the bottom four of the NRL ladder. However, three-time premiership-winning playmaker Luke Keary believes the club is only a few strategic recruitment moves away from reversing their fortunes.
A dramatic fall from grace
After sitting atop the competition at the same stage last year and making back-to-back finals appearances, the Bulldogs have endured a startling decline. Their defensive resilience, which was the cornerstone of their success, has evaporated, and they have undergone more lineup changes than any other team this season. The Bulldogs trailed 30-6 at halftime against the Sharks, prompting Keary to question coach Cameron Ciraldo's post-match assessment.
“The most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard, the coach said there was a lot of good stuff in the first half,” Keary said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters. “I’m going to have to rewatch it tonight and I’m going to find the good stuff from the first half. The first set, the Bulldogs in defence, their forward pack didn’t get behind the ball until tackle four after 40 seconds of the game. So I’m unsure what they’re seeing.”
Recruitment tweaks on the horizon
Despite the current struggles, Keary is adamant that the slide will not be long-term. He pointed to the club's reported interest in Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf, who has since signed with the Dragons, and Titans hooker Sam Verrills, who has yet to decide his future, as signs that the Bulldogs recognise their shortcomings.
“That is an admission to me that, yes, they got it wrong,” Keary said. “Everyone gets things wrong but I think it’s just a few little recruitment tweaks, and they’ll be back on track. Because I think Cam Ciraldo is a good coach.”
Leading NRL journalist David Riccio suggested that the Verrills deal may not eventuate, but Keary stressed the need for a long-term hooker and a solution at halfback. “If Mitch Woods can get himself right, or you bring a genuine half,” he said. “One or two tweaks. Mate, it’s all there. They’ve admitted, probably, that they might have got it wrong.”
Confidence crisis or personnel problem?
Former Bulldogs forward Aaron Woods believes the team’s issues are more about a lack of confidence than a lack of talent. “I look at Connor Tracey, that is a different player to what I’ve seen last year,” Woods said. “I look at the whole group, they’re not upbeat, they’re not buzzing.”
Riccio added that the Bulldogs are hamstrung by a lack of selection pressure from the NSW Cup side. However, former Broncos captain Corey Parker bluntly described the collapse as “garbage,” noting that the only significant off-season losses were halfback Toby Sexton and hooker Reed Mahoney.
“This is a team that finished third in the regular season last year,” Parker said. “There has been two players leave, that is it. If you’re telling me that Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton are two of the most influential players within this group, so much so that they can only get a couple of wins to start this season (without them) — absolute BS.”
Keary countered that halfbacks and hookers “should be” a team’s most influential players. When Parker questioned whether they were the glue that made the Bulldogs the second-best defensive team last season, Keary replied: “I think they helped. I think they were a bigger factor than people are going to admit. Reed Mahoney’s one of the toughest hookers in the competition.”
Parker agreed but insisted that “doesn’t mean the whole house falls down.” He criticised the lack of clarity around the halves combination of Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton, and the defensive efforts of the team’s highest-paid players. “The messaging from Ciraldo in his press conference was alarming. I don’t know if that’s just the public message to portray to his players. But some of the movements defensively from their biggest stars, their highest earnings, are appalling. They’re not NRL standard.”
