At the halfway point of the season, the Bulldogs are languishing at the bottom of the ladder, and having recently sacked coach Trent Barrett, season 2022 is essentially written off by the Bulldogs.
With no definitive direction or head coach for 2023, interim coach Mick Potter has a golden opportunity to explore some โwhat-ifsโ and โmaybesโ in the Bulldogs' squad.
Traditionally, teams in similar positions have blooded rookies and dropped those not in future plans, with significant selection pressure motivating incumbents to work hard to earn their next contracts.
With general manager Phil Gould and Barrett having recently overhauled the roster and with major signings on the way next season, Potter has full control of a still relatively new squad, and should start making some creative changes, perhaps even enhancing his reputation as an NRL coach along the way, with the Bulldogs, Tigers and Warriors jobs still vacant.
5. Zach Dockar-Clay and Joshua Cook playing at 9
Jeremy Marshall-King has been one of the Bulldogs' best in 2022, with his darts out of dummy-half providing rare spark for the Belmore side.
However, with Marshall-King moving to the Dolphins in 2023 ahead of Reed Mahoney's arrival at Belmore, the Dogs should explore their bench utility options with players like Mitch Kenny, Reuben Cotter and Siliva Havili (able to fill in both at dummy-half and playing in the middle or back row) becoming vital to most NRL sides.
In 2022, the Bulldogs have primarily played halves players like Brandon Wakeham and Bailey Biondi-Odo off the bench, with the dummy-half service and middle defence suffering during Marshall-King's short rest period, with the Bulldogs getting blown out late on numerous occasions in 2022.
In the Bulldogs' NRL squad and playing 50-60 minutes per game in NSW Cup is Joshua Cook, who tackles at over 90%, has scored 3 tries in 12 appearances this season, and having worked closely with Australian rake Damien Cook at the Rabbitohs.
Likewise, Zach Dockar-Clay's utility value has been useful for the Bulldogs this season, having played in the halves, hooker and off the interchange for the Cup team, and as aย bench hooker and forward in his limited opportunities for the NRL side.
For the second half of the season, Potter should start giving some greater opportunities to these two players at dummy-half, particularly as Jeremy Marshall-King's fatigue begins to become a factor.
Intriguing ideas. I’m a bit dubious about Bailey Biondi-Odo at 6, but the season is trashed in terms of making the eight, Potter does not have a 2023 contract to protect, so yeah – make all the changes and see which ones work !
Either way, the changes will yield valuable information for next season.