The 2022 NRL season isn’t far away so Oscar Pannifex and Jason Oliver are previewing all 16 clubs before Round 1. Up next, it’s the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2022 Season Preview:
- The 2021 NRL Season In 200 Words
- Predicted Profile In 2022
- Breakout Season Candidates: Aaron Schoupp, Bailey Biondi-Odo
- Sections Wishlist: Averillo at the back, Tevita Pangai Jr.
- SuperCoach Game Theory
- Notepad: Searching for an identity in good ball
- Predictions: Peak, Pass & Pit
The 2021 NRL Season In 200 Words
We’re looking back at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2021 Season Review for a quick recap on how it all played out.
Dumpster fire. Disheartening. Dire. We’re getting to the positives soon, but when youngsters look over the record books in 20 years time and see a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs team won three games in 2021, they’re going to have a pretty good idea of how the season played out. It wasn’t one of near-misses or games that got away. As impressive as the fight in this team could be at times, few sat back and gave them much of a chance at victory no matter how close they might be on the scoreboard at the time.
Trent Barrett hasn’t showered himself in glory this year. His handling of team selections and in-game rotations has left a lot to be desired. The lack of development out of Kyle Flanagan, in particular, is a concern moving forward. Still, the Doggies finished on a high note, moved along some of the deadwood and welcomed in a nice combination of proven attacking talent and players that are yet to play their best football.
It can’t get much worse than this in the coming years. This spoon should mark the end of a lengthy losing period and trigger the beginning of their rise towards the Top 8.
Predicted Profile In 2022
What will the Bulldogs attack look like this season? We take a stab at profiling their playing style ahead of Round 1 of the 2022 NRL season.
It’s all about Matt Burton, right?
The young half arrives in Belmore with a weight of expectations and Canterbury need him to deliver in 2022. Whether he plays at halfback or five-eighth, expect Burton to have a high involvement rate in the Bulldogs’ attack. He will always be a runner of the ball and he’ll always threaten most down that left edge, but I won’t be surprised if Burton pops up on both sides of the field in a playmaking role this season.
The way Nicho Hynes played for the Indigenous All-Stars is exactly how I’d look to use Burton at Canterbury in 2022. Playing at five-eighth, Hynes had a number of very halfback-like involvements across the park in this game.
It’s easy to picture Burton taking a carry just like this for the Bulldogs. At 190cm and 96kgs, Burton is well equipped to get through the tough stuff himself – imagine Jack Wighton but with better hands.
Everyone remembers David Fifita’s barnstorming run to open the scoring for the Indigenous All-Stars, but have a look at who swept over to the right edge to get Fifita the ball.
There’s nothing we’ve seen from Burton so far that suggests he can’t replicate these kinds of actions for the Bulldogs in 2022.
Burton’s effectiveness depends on the platform laid before him, though. Unlike 2021 in which the Bulldogs ranked 16th in the NRL in yardage with 1,478 running metres per game, they now have the personnel to get their way up the field.
Luke Thompson started to display his talents in 2021 and can take this Bulldogs pack to another level if he plays his best football. He’s an excellent carrier of the ball. His footwork is grossly underrated and he can be the 160+ metres per game middle they need. Add a motivated Paul Vaughan and Tevita Pangai Jr. who thrived while playing in the middle last season, and the Bulldogs have the cattle to get up the field.
Canterbury-Bankstown should play a fairly simple brand all the way up the field in 2022. The additions to the roster are nice, but they will take time to gel. Keeping roles clear and simple will help develop the cohesion necessary to become a finals side. It may look crash and bash to start with, but the footwork of Thompson and offload ability of Pangai Jr. can add a dangerous element once the simple actions are embedded in the Bulldogs attack.
The Bulldogs lacked a clear game plan in 2021. A lot of that will be down to the players available and how often those players were moving in and out of the squad but they have their team of the future for the most part. That consistency will help and we should start to see a clearer identity for this side with the ball in 2022.
~ Oscar & Jason
Breakout Season Candidates
Some started to breakout in 2021 while others are ripe and ready to announce themselves to the NRL in 2022. Oscar and Jason highlight one player they think will take a leap this season.
Oscar: Aaron Schoupp
I’m ignoring reports that Brent Naden has locked up the left centre spot and I’m doubling down on my Aaron Schoupp investments for 2022.
Schoupp played nine games last year for the Bulldogs, scoring three tries, busting 27 tackles and averaging 129 running metres per game in a struggling side. That ranked him alongside elite attacking centres like Joey Manu, Dane Gagai and Jesse Ramien, statistically. This year he’ll play in a side expected to be much improved and for me that spells breakout year for young Schoupp.
“The 20 year old Schoupp made a fist of his chances in first grade last year and there’s plenty of upside about him in 2022. The threat of Josh Addo-Carr waiting on his outside will force defending teams to stretch, allowing Schoupp more one-on-one situations with his opposing centre in attack. He’ll also have Matt Burton as Canterbury’s dominant half feeding him clean pill every week.” – 22 Things for 2022
At 183cm and 102kgs, Schoupp is certainly equipped to do some damage with the ball in hand, but the key to Canterbury’s left centre position this year is the ability to link with Addo-Carr on the left wing. Naden is a running centre who does not profile as a guy naturally suited to bring his winger into the game, and it’s where I’m tipping Schoupp to edge him out.
If he can strike up a combination with Addo-Carr early in the season then I’m backing Schoupp in for a breakout 2022. Seeing Canterbury teammate and rival left-centre Brent Naden miss six tackles in 66 minutes for the Indigenous All-Stars game certainly did Schoupp’s chances no harm.
Jason: Bailey Biondi-Odo
Sometimes you can just see it in a player.
They don’t even need to do anything particularly skilful but you can still tell they’re going to become a very good footy player. That’s the feeling I have towards Bailey Biondi-Odo heading into 2022.
He’s a tough kid so is well suited to playing out an apprenticeship off the bench in the #14 jersey. Playing his best footy at hooker last year, he can slot into the halves or lock at a pinch if the Bulldogs suffer any mid-game injuries. Ideally, though, he spends a lot more time at dummy half.
Biondi-Odo’s vision is encouraging. He can spot slow defenders and see the numbers down a short side. With so many big bodies running off his shoulder this season, the 20-year-old will have plenty of opportunities to use his forwards as a decoy on scheming runs from behind the ruck.
He only played nine games in 2021 but looked the part from day one. He could become a key feature of the Bulldogs best 17 if he can spend some decent periods on the field throughout the early rounds of the season.
Section Wishlist
Whether it be likely or unlikely, good or bad, Jason and Oscar have a couple of players on their selection wishlist in 2022.
Oscar: Averillo at the back
You can all but lock in Matt Dufty starting the season at fullback but we’ve got our reservations here at RLW. Nothing Dufty’s shown over the last few years suggests he is a reliable option across 25 weeks of first-grade and while I’m not ruling out patches of brilliance, I don’t think he’s the answer there long term.
I’m not so sure Jake Averillo is either, but it’s an interesting option that I want to see trialed in 2022.
Kyle Flanagan needs a crack at the halfback position now there’s a decent roster around him. He’s the traditional #7 that Matt Burton will need to release him in attack and I don’t think he’s nearly as poor as most sources would have you believe. With these two in the halves, I’d love to see Averillo at fullback. He’s dangerous with a run and offers far more in the way of ballplaying than Dufty ever will.
If Flanagan doesn’t fire, Burton to halfback and Averillo to five-eighth is the logical option although a left-field idea would be handing Bailey Biondi-Odo the #6 jersey. Based on his form to finish the 2021 season Biondi-Odo needs to be in the 17 somewhere although a bench hooker role feels most likely at this point.
Jason: Tevita Pangai Jr. – Somewhere
I actually don’t know what I want here other than to see Tevita Pangai Jr. put himself in a position to be selected every week. No more suspensions, please.
If he’s available, both the edge and middle appeal.
Pangai Jr. stood out on the edge in a poor Broncos side to start the 2021 NRL season. He averaged 117 running metres and 3.1 offloads per game while playing 80 minutes in nine of the ten games he started on the edge. Being able to take the ball wide and continue on a destructive carry back in-field made things difficult for the defence and looked like Brisbane’s only consistent attacking option.
He’s a superb off-loader and isolating him onto opposition halves ends with his arms free more often than not.
However, Pangai Jr. was exceptionally effective in the middle after shifting to the Penrith Panthers. Playing for the eventual NRL premiers will have helped. Being pointed and passed around the field by Nathan Cleary is another positive he won’t have at the Bulldogs. Still, being asked to carry the ball for his 98 metres per game in only 33 minutes gave us a good idea of the destructive, consistent football he could be capable of when playing in the middle.
I have Pangai Jr. circled as a player to watch regardless of what jersey he wears this NRL season but will be keeping an eye out for the team list ahead of Round 1.
SuperCoach Game Theory
RLW is venturing into the fantasy space this year and Oscar will be keeping a rolling watch list from week-to-week. Not everything translates from field to fantasy but if something catches my eye or there’s value hiding somewhere, it’ll go on the list.
Aaron Schoupp ($385,800) – I’m not entirely convinced on Schoupp’s SC relevance but I think he’s a developing prospect in the NRL so he’s on the watchlist regardless. A lot of it depends on where Schoupp lines up this year. A spot on the left edge outside Burton is a nice place for an attacking centre in 2022 but so far we’ve seen Paul Alomoti (trial v Dragons) and Brent Naden (All-Stars) feature there. I’m cool on Schoupp for SC right now but he’s one to watch if things change positionally. It’s worth noting he looks like being Canterbury’s first-choice goal kicker this year too.
Max King ($188,700) – Cash Cow of the Year potential. In the trial against St George last weekend he ran for 155 meters (56m post-contact), broke three tackles, threw four offloads and made 23 tackles with no misses. He also costs less than $200k. Say no more.
Tevita Pangai Jnr ($569,900) – Currently at 28% ownership, there’s no secret Panga Jr’s ceiling is sky-high. How close he plays to that ceiling is less clear right now. It’s not a gamble I’m willing to take at this point but I’ll definitely be waiting to see what sort of TPJ we get in 2022. If it’s the one that finished last season for the Panthers then that price suddenly looks very tempting.
Raymond Faitala-Mariner ($411,700) – The forgotten man in Canterbury’s revamped pack, Faitala-Mariner was immense playing off Kieran Foran on the left edge a few years ago and with Burton there now he’s every chance of recapturing that form. RFM has to make it back from injury first, but he’s on my watchlist already.
Bailey Biondi-Odo ($338,00) – I’m with Jase on this one – Biondi-Odo looks special. He’ll make some slow cash in a utility role but the Dogs haven’t got a hooker locked in just yet and if he gets a starting gig there’ll be money to be made. How far his price has ticked over by then is the question. Watching very closely.
2022 NRL Notepad
Jason has pulled the wrapper off a fresh notepad and has a few pages filled already with the 2022 NRL season in mind.
The Bulldogs good ball attack simply must improve.
It should given the change in personnel. Still, we need to see it in action, and early.
This team needs to form some sort of identity with the ball to start the 2022 NRL season. Going wide and dropping off a backrower into the middle became an all too distinguishing feature of a Bulldogs attack that scored only 14.2 points per game. More concerning, the Bulldogs averaged 26.5 tackles inside the opposition 20-metre line per game (9th) but only 0.52 points per tackle (16th).
They had opportunities to attack the opposition line but failed to make a dent.
We can’t read too much into individual trial performances but there is usually a sign of how a team intends on playing. The Bulldogs appear to be adding a lot more ball-playing from their middle players this year – possibly too much. It may be different with Burton out there, but the Bulldogs halves didn’t see enough of the ball in good ball areas throughout the first trial match. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on in the early rounds as the Bulldogs desperately search for points.
Peak, Pass, Pit
Oscar and Jason give their predicted peak for the Bulldogs in 2022 along with a pass mark and worst-case scenario.
Peak
10th: I’m not on the Bulldogs finals train just yet. I’m a huge fan of Matt Burton but how often do we see a 21-year old half in his first full year in that position turn a club’s fortunes completely around? That being said, they can give the middle of the table a shake if things start falling into place early enough in the season. ~OP
8th: It’s easy to get excited about the Bulldogs this season. Too excited. The additions to the team are encouraging but they’re unlikely to turn this wooden spoon outfit into a finals side in one season. It’s difficult to get so many players on the same page so quickly. There is enough talent to sneak in, but they’ll need a lot of luck along the way. ~JO
Pass
>12th: The Dogs need to get themselves out of the Bottom 4 this year. We need to go back to 2016 for the last time Canterbury finished the regular season higher than 12th and that’s the pass mark I’m setting for them in 2022. On last year’s form, that means they need to win eight games of footy this season. It doesn’t sound like much right now but it’s an upward trend the Dogs need to kickstart in 2022. ~OP
8 Wins: The Bulldogs won three games across the 2021 NRL season. They never looked like winning most weeks. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Warriors – two battling clubs – managed eight wins. That should be the goal for the Bulldogs in 2022. If not winning, keep games close. They featured in only four ‘close games‘ last year – the fewest of all bottom eight teams. That’s another number that should jump up. ~JO
Pit
Bottom 4: I don’t think the fight for the wooden spoon will be quite as clear-cut as it was last year. There’s a few clubs I won’t rule out from finishing down that end of the ladder and Canterbury are still one of them in 2022. The spine in particular still poses more questions than answers and they’ll only have so long to address this before the pressure gauge rises. ~OP
Bottom 4: Few expect the Bulldogs to remain towards the bottom of the ladder but we can’t rule it out. An injury to Matt Burton, in particular, would put a massive handbrake on their development. Questions still remain over Trent Barrett’s ability as a head coach, too. While there is a positive feeling around the Bulldogs right now, a few early losses will raise significant concerns. ~JO