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As much as it might hurt fans of the blue and white, the Bulldogs are no better than they were in 2022.
In fact, it could be argued rather convincingly that the performances of the team under new coach Cameron Ciraldo are as bad as they have been across the last four seasons.
During that period, the once perennially contending Bulldogs have finished no better than 12th, winning just three matches in 2020 and 2021, before managing seven wins last season.
A measly 14 points a game were averaged in the ‘for’ column in 2020, with that number matched the following season.
Despite plenty of hope and promises of something different, 16 points a game was the best the Bulldogs could muster in 2022 with an attack that many people were hoodwinked into believing could perform consistently without the presence of a stable and quality number seven.
Phil Gould has been on the Bulldog payroll for the past two seasons, along with many a handy recruit that had been brought into the fold after the extensive clean-out necessitated by the salary-cap atrocities of former coach Des Hasler between 2012 and 2017.
Canterbury fans are simply sick of hearing about that period. As close to a premiership as it brought the club, the aftermath has not been worth the tilt at the trophy. Fans of the Dragons might feel exactly the same way, with long-term supporters of both clubs more likely to enjoy consistent competitiveness than a flash in the pan playoff run or two followed up by years in the wilderness.
Gould’s arrival at the kennel for the third time in his career was intended to jettison the errors of the past and move the club into a brave new world of contention that the youngest Canterbury fans are yet to experience.
He was employed to right the ship, attracted the required players, oversee the football department and get the club on a steady and improving course.
Board minds appeared to be convinced that the media personality was the answer to those issues; with a premiership and State of Origin resume undoubtedly offering some validity to their view.
However, with his media opinions growing ever more controversial around issues such as head trauma and his penchant for rather paltry attempts at entertainment in the commentary box leading to little more than melodrama, the question as to whether Gould had slipped too far from clubland and its realities was a fair one.
A desperate club took a desperate swing on a man who divides like few others in the game and is far from as clever as some sections of the media choose to give him credit for.
Canterbury general manager Phil Gould. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Upon arrival, Gould suggested that then coach Trent Barrett would be at the club for far longer than he would. That was just prior to the former representative five-eighth being jettisoned from the coaches box.
Just prior to Gould’s arrival and soon after, the signings continued to roll in and the recruitment looked impressive to some. Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Viliame Kikau, Reed Mahoney, Tevita Pangai jnr and Ryan Sutton were added to a group of developing players that, despite not potentially being at their best until 2024 or 2025, promised supporters that better times were ahead.
Instead of any improvement taking place, the Dogs now sit at Round 17 in second last spot, above only the Tigers and with a massive -154 points differential, the worst by far of any team.
It is fair to ask, what exactly has changed? The answer appears to be nothing and all the nonsense around Gould’s arrival, and the rookie coach who has failed as dismally as his predecessors, now seems like nothing more than hullabaloo.
Viliame Kikau. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
No doubt it will all be part of a Gould plan (pick your year number) and the long-term vision will be the mantra he adopts, just as he did at Penrith. Yet all the Panthers needed to do better was retain the cream of the endless supply of youthful talent at their disposal, something the Dogs do not have the luxury of enjoying.
The 65-year-old general manager has somehow forged an infallible rugby league reputation, where his presence appears to demand attention, respect and consideration. He arrives with a mighty large shadow and few seem prepared to question his methods or decisions.
People at Canterbury should be doing so right now. Now matter the recruitment, coaching staff or ogres overseeing the entire operation, the team continues to tread water at best and arguably, regress.
Bulldogs fans deserve better and Gould is increasingly losing credibility as the man likely to bring that to them.