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Barrett's rudderless Bulldogs leave Fox hungry, but they're not the only club struggling to sate a superstar

3rd March, 2022
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3rd March, 2022
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Three years, three floods. What are the odds?

Even if Australia’s east coast residents took a punt after the 2020 catastrophe, only Meat Loaf diehards would’ve backed an unfathomable two out of three.

When it rains it pours.

In NRL terms, if anyone looks stranded by rising waters, it’s star Canterbury recruit Josh Addo-Carr.
From the lofty heights of Melbourne to a lonely Bulldogs wing. The silver service that yielded 96 tries in five seasons and two titles now looks a world away.

If last week’s debut as a Doggie is a sign of things to come, then the quality ball has all but dried up and the lustre of one of the game’s favourites is about to be tarnished.

On the one hand, playing inside the likes of Cooper Cronk, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes is almost foolproof. While on the other, big spending in the absence of established playmakers should be considered foolhardy.


Stability in the halves has been a problem at Canterbury since the departure of Trent Hodkinson seven years ago.


Not that Canterbury have been afraid to try and buy themselves out of the hole.

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Last season Kyle Flanagan and Nic Cotric arrived on sizable deals with a promise to tick the scoreboard over.

For whatever reason, Flanagan’s confidence went up in smoke and in a rudderless backline Cotric struggled for involvement before injury stalled his season after 14 appearances. Rattled and homesick, the former Origin winger quickly negotiated his way back to the nation’s capital.


This year Addo-Carr and Matt Burton head more than a handful of established stars to have signed on at Belmore.

Josh Addo-Carr of the Bulldogs looks on during the NRL Trial Match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Canterbury Bulldogs at PointsBet Stadium on February 28, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Josh Addo-Carr of the Bulldogs. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)


Burton holds the key. A five-eighth with a monster boot, his all round skills at Penrith saw him named at centre in last season’s NRL team of the year.


But without the calming guidance of Nathan Cleary and with only 10 top-grade starts in the halves himself, the expectations are enormous.


Burton’s too talented to find himself heading down the Flanagan path, but the last thing Canterbury need is a footy starved Addo-Carr angling for an early exit.

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Newcastle find themselves in the same boat. With the Dolphins circling, Adam O’Brien is fast running out of time to bed down a strategy that delivers the best of Kalyn Ponga.


Even with the experienced Mitchell Pearce at the helm, the Knights were clunky at best last season and by no means close to bedding down a formula that released Ponga on a regular basis.


Jake Clifford enters the season with the weight of Newcastle on his shoulders. At 24, the former North Queensland No.6 will steer the Knights’ ship. But if the wins don’t mount there’s talk Ponga, whose final two seasons beyond 2022 are options in his favour, may commit to Bennett before the season is done.
And who could blame him.


If Pearce, with 10 seasons of Origin under his belt, couldn’t lay a regular platform from which to launch the attack then what hope has Clifford got?


Man management is one thing but without a successful strategy, only a Johnathan Thurston type can cover the cracks.


It’s a scenario that should see Ponga relocate to Redcliffe, and one that should shine a light on coaching mediocrity.


For some, O’Brien and Barrett deserve more time to make their mark. But after several seasons, 2022 is the fork in the road.

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Results are one thing, but just as important to the NRL and its broadcasters is setting the stage for the biggest stars to shine.

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