It’s an all-or-nothing year for Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore. On the last year of his contract, the unceremonious ousting of Ivan Henjak will certainly have Kevvy on his toes.
And in literal terms, he’ll be taking on season 2011 with a team of heavyweights. Ben Hannant might have headed back to Queensland, but in his place the Doggies have bought in a ridiculously hefty foursome: prospective NRL regular Grant Millington, Frank ‘the Tank’ Pritchard, promising young prop Aiden Tolman and Greg Eastwood, the man who inspired a million weight-related jokes.
It’s a seriously beefed up Bulldogs outfit, and no doubt there will be more bite in their pack this year, to back up Michael Ennis and his special brand of menace around the ruck.
The difficulty will be the big shoes that new recruit Trent Hodkinson will have to fill on the field. While Luke ‘General’ Patten is finding his feet in the English Super League, Canterbury have lost their other little general, Brett Kimmorley. Noddy brought a wealth of experience with him, and it will be hard for Hodkinson to match his on-field authority, even with Noddy working with the club as a halves coach. It remains to be seen whether Kris Keating can stake a claim to a spot in the halves alongside him or whether Ben Roberts will make it his own.
The loss of Noddy means added pressure and responsibility on hooker Michael Ennis to look beyond his own game and direct the attack; look for him to struggle a little as he adapts to the power shift.
There is no shortage of wingers or three-quarters at Belmore: even if giant Jamal Idris is moved to the back row, the Dogs have brought in Michael Lett and Jonathan Wright to back up players like Bryson Goodwin, Josh Morris and Steve Turner.
X-Factor: Ben Barba has shown flashes of sheer brilliance for the past two years, and his unique skill with the ball in hand even earned him the nickname: “the X-factor”. As always, the question mark over him isn’t his talent, but his ability to use it consistently. If he can, Barba has all the makings of a superstar.
Main man: Like his fellow old-school forward Michael Hodgson, Andrew Ryan is the hard-working, stand-up heart of the Canterbury club. Seemingly immune to scandal and to age, Ryan will need to be the voice of experience for the club’s new recruits, especially their promising new forwards.
Homeground: ANZ Stadium (40,000)
Coach: Kevin Moore
Season 2010: 13th (P24, W9, L15, -45pts)
2011 squad: Chris Armit, Ben Barba, Tim Browne, Greg Eastwood, Michael Ennis, Jake Foster, Bryson Goodwin, Dene Halatau, Michael Hodgson, Trent Hodkinson, Jamal Idris, Sam Kasiano, Kris Keating, Michael Lett, Grant Millington, Josh Morris, Mickey Paea, Corey Payne, Frank Pritchard, Ben Roberts, Joel Romelo, Andrew Ryan, David Stagg, Ryan Tandy, Martin Tapau, Junior Tia-Kilifi, Aiden Tolman, Steve Turner, Gary Warburton, Johnathan Wright.
Ins: Aiden Tolman, Frank Pritchard, Grant Millington, Greg Eastwood, Jonathan Wright, Kris Keating, Michael Lett, Trent Hodkinson,
Outs: Ben Hannant, Nathan Massey, Daniel Harrison, Luke Patten, Brett Kimmorley, Blake Green, Tim Winitana, Yileen Gordon, Ratu Tagive
Predicted 2011 finish: 14th
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
Cameron Ciraldo must wonder what to say to his players at times like this. Against the best teams in the league, Canterbury have performed…
Viliame Kikau could well be the most overrated player in the NRL based on the stats he has produced thus far in 2024.
1. Sea Eagles see no evil The Manly Sea Eagles are a loveable bunch, which is why they famously don’t have to carry banners…
Sometimes in rugby league, it seems like everything that can go wrong will. That was the Roosters in the first half: they trailing the…
