Mastermind season review: Canterbury Bulldogs

After losing Ben Barba to the Brisbane Broncos twelve months ago, the big question for the Bulldogs was whether they could move on from his departure and contend for the premiership.

And while they endured a poor finish to the regular season after topping the ladder midway through, they found their best form when it mattered most to reach their second grand final in three seasons.

Unfortunately, it didn’t result in the ultimate success, and with their captain Michael Ennis departed, their premiership window could be about to lower.

But before all that, let’s take a look back at the season that was for the Bulldogs.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Final ladder position: seventh (13 wins, 11 losses, +7 differential)
After finals: second

What went right?
After finishing the regular season poorly, dropping from the top of the ladder after Round 12 to seventh by Round 26, the Bulldogs found form in September, defeating the Storm, Sea Eagles and Panthers in succession to reach the grand final.

Halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson won selection for the New South Wales State of Origin team, and they justified their selections by guiding the state to their first series victory in almost a decade.

It was this form which took the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder in Round 7, and that was where they stayed until the end of May, when Origin and injuries conspired against them.

What went wrong?
The Bulldogs will be pondering the premiership that could have been had Ennis not been injured in the first half of their preliminary final against the Panthers.

The foot injury he incurred forced him to miss the grand final, thus robbing the Bulldogs of experience and leadership. It was eventually left to rookie Moses Mbye to shoulder the dummy-half load in the big one, and his inexperience was severely exposed as the side capitulated in the final ten minutes of the game.

Five-eighth Josh Reynolds also landed himself in hot water with the tribunal following a wild night against the Broncos in Round 22, which saw him reported for tripping former teammate Barba, as well as being sin-binned late in the match.

Best win: defeated the Penrith Panthers 18-12 in the preliminary final at ANZ Stadium
As far as victories go for the Bulldogs in 2014, none was more impressive than their brave preliminary final victory over Penrith.

Ennis went down with a foot injury in the first half, which ultimately saw him sit out the second half, during which the Bulldogs repelled everything Penrith could throw at them.

In the end, the club hung on to win 18-12.

Worst loss: lost to the Wests Tigers 46-18 at ANZ Stadium in Round 19
One of the Bulldogs’ worst performances of the season came when the club suffered a disappointing 46-18 loss to the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium in Round 19.

After leading 18-16 at halftime, the Bulldogs were embarrassed in the second half by the Tigers’ young cubs, led by Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses. The absence of Josh Reynolds through suspension didn’t help as the side was held scoreless in the second half.

The future
The Bulldogs face a tough few years as they look to move on from the loss of their inspirational leader Ennis.

His loss has been offset by the arrival of Michael Lichaa from the Sharks, in what is virtually a trade between the two clubs. Mitch Brown and Krisnan Inu have also left the club for the Sharks and French rugby respectively.

The club’s habit of poaching players from the St George Illawarra Dragons looks set to continue, with reports that Brett Morris may be lured to the Bulldogs in a bid to be reunited with his twin brother Josh, who has been at Canterbury since 2009.

The Test winger and 2010 premiership player would also solve the club’s woes at fullback, a position which suffered after Barba left.

Bulldogs fans would be loving that prospect, and with a deal to reunite the Morris twins imminent, fans can start dreaming about the club’s next premiership, while at the same time leaving Dragons fans annoyed.