Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2024 season review
Overview
No team saw a bigger improvement in 2024 than the Bulldogs, who climbed from 15th to 6th, to reach their first finals series since 2016.
Their improvement was most noticeable in defence, as they conceded an incredible 336 points less than in 2023.
And in a sign of how far they’ve come in the past 12 months, there was a far stronger feeling of disappointment at their week one exit to Manly in the finals, than pride at their achievements.
I’m sure when the dust settles though, the Dogs will look back on 2024 with immense pride, and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.
Highs
If any team made a better signing than Stephen Crichton in 2024, then I’d like to know who. The former Panthers centre was immense for the Doggies and showed leadership skills that we hadn’t fully seen at his old club – not to mention his usual outstanding playing ability as well.
After an injury-hit 2023 season, Viliame Kikau was back with a bang in 2024, missing just one game. I could easily go through the whole team to be fair, as there were far more good seasons than bad in the Bulldogs squad.
As for results, the Bulldogs’ five-game winning run between rounds 21 and 25 showed them at their best. The win that started that run was the best of the lot – a 16-41 mauling of the Broncos at Suncorp, where some of Canterbury’s attacking play was the most fluid and exciting to watch that I saw from any team this year.
Lows
The week one finals exit to Manly would have been a bitter pill to swallow. The Dogs were the better side for most of the match, and led by as many as 10 points for large parts of it. Perhaps it was a good lesson for them that they still have a bit of a way to go.
The other big low point, which is very fresh in the memory, was the off-field incident involving Josh Addo-Carr leading into week one of the finals. The Foxx failed a roadside drugs test and voluntarily withdrew from the squad, which would have been an unwanted distraction for coach Cameron Ciraldo. There are rumours that Addo-Carr will be heading for the exit before next year, and if that’s true, he will be missed.
Reasons to be positive in 2025
Where do I start? 2024 was a huge year of progress for the Dogs, and I can only see them getting stronger in 2025.
Stephen Crichton is comfortably the best centre in the world right now, Matt Burton continues to torment defences every week with his kicking game, and their forward pack is so underrated.
One of the things that impressed me most this year was Canterbury’s ability to get the best out of so-called lesser names. The likes of Connor Tracey and Sam Hughes spring to mind, while players like Jaeman Salmon and Drew Hutchison are sort of reliable backups that many clubs are crying out for.
All in all, 2024 was overwhelmingly positive, and there’s no reason why they can’t continue the progress next year.
My 2024 prediction – 9th
Final 2024 position – 6th (+3)
I fancied the Bulldogs to improve in 2024, but I didn’t think they’d improve this much. A lot of credit must go to the coach for tightening the defence and getting them all playing consistently well, and of course to Phil Gould, for piecing the squad together. There are still stronger sides than the Dogs, but I make them a strong chance of a top four finish next year, and even possibly, Grand Finalists.
