SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JULY 24: Matt Burton of the Bulldogs celebrates with team mates after scoring a try during the round 19 NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Gold Coast Titans at CommBank Stadium, on July 24, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The tenure of Cameron Ciraldo officially kicked off at Belmore this week, with the first raft of Canterbury Bulldogs players showing up for pre-season.
While a number of Bulldogs stars including Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Luke Thompson, Viliame Kikau and Jacob Kiraz are yet to return from World Cup duty and will enjoy an extended break, the club welcomed back a number of NRL stars for their first train-on squad, including Tevita Pangai Jnr, Jake Averillo, Max King and more.
The club also confirmed contract extensions for dynamic young duo Jackson Topine and Declan Casey, who have signed two-year and one-year extensions respectively.
Topine made his NRL debut in 2021 and has played 11 games for the club at NRL level both in the back-row and at hooker. Casey, meanwhile, made his debut last year and has made just three NRL appearances, playing on the wing and also at fullback during the club’s Round 19 win over the Gold Coast.
It was also confirmed that a number of players from the Bulldogs’ NSW Cup side – who made it to the 2022 Grand Final – would be promoted to the fringes of the first grade squad, including Sam Hughes, Brandon Clarke and former rugby sevens and Super Rugby talent Jeral Skelton.
Though some are already known, the club also officially confirmed the arrival of a number of new faces, including Andrew Davey and Jacob Preston, who will be joined by other new recruits including Franklin Pele, Ryan Sutton, Reed Mahoney and Hayze Perham in the coming weeks.
The club also welcomed back favourite son Josh Reynolds, who has secured a train-and-trial deal following his return from England. Reynolds played 138 games for the club before his departure in 2018, but he’s been given an opportunity to prove he can still contribute.
Source:: ZeroTackle
