The Canterbury Bulldogs have been one of the most active sides in the player transfer market in recent years, and may not be done yet.
2025 will present yet more opportunities for the rebuilding side to continue adding to their roster, and there is little doubt they have some key shortcomings to address within their Top 30.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo should be guaranteed to be there into 2025, which makes recruitment a little easier, although still tough to suggest it's an ideal location given their lack of success.
Still, they have signed enough talent for 2024 to start turning things around, and yet more in 2025 could be the catalyst for a full blown transition to the top.
In this series, Zero Tackle are running the rule over every club and who they should be targetting when a new crop of players become available to negotiate with on November 1 ahead of their contracts expiring at the end of 2024.
Current 2025 squad
Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton, Josh Curran, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Kitione Kautoga, Viliame Kikau, Jacob Kiraz, Reed Mahoney, Isaac Matalavea-Booth, Karl Oloapu, Jacob Preston, Jaeman Salmon, Jordan Samrani, Ryan Sutton, Blake Taaffe, Blake Wilson, Bronson Xerri
Current 2025 best 17
1. Stephen Crichton
2. Josh Addo-Carr
3. Jacob Kiraz
4. Bronson Xerri
5. Blake Wilson
6. Karl Oloapu
7. Matt Burton
8. Isaac Matalavea-Booth
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Ryan Sutton
11. Viliame Kikau
12. Jacob Preston
13. Josh Curran
14. Jaeman Salmon
15. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
16. Kitione Katuoga
17. Blake Taaffe
Players off-contract at end of 2024
Reece Hoffman, Samuel Hughes, Max King, Liam Knight, Joseph O'Neill, Chris Patolo, Hayze Perham, Ethan Quai-Ward, Khaled Rajab, Toby Sexton, Jeral Skelton, Jackson Topine
EVERY PLAYER OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2024
Other clubs
» Brisbane Broncos
» Canberra Raiders
All the reports out of Belmore are that the club want Karl Oloapu to become a long-term lock forward, rather than stick to his current spot in the halves.
That is going to be on pause for 2024 at least though, with Oloapu in for neck surgery and likely to miss the entire season.
The Bulldogs must, either way, plan for a future without Oloapu playing in the halves, and that means making a splash for a top player from November 1.
Matt Burton has proven himself as a six, a seven, and as a centre. That being said, the Bulldogs should have fishing lines in the water for players in both positions, for the set-up they have, they are unlikely to find a better player than Tom Dearden.
If playing next to Burton, he can help to control the kicking game, and if playing with a more solid traditional halfback, he can run till his heart is content.
North Queensland not securing Dearden prior to November 1 could be enormous, because we get the feeling a number of clubs might have a nibble.
If the Bulldogs instead elect to look at signing a halfback - or a player in both half spots - then the best on the market with experience is likely to be Jamal Fogarty.
They could instead elect to go with a player like Niwhai Puru who is currently in the Cronulla Sharks system, but for a team without a track record of winning and looking to rebuild, a more tried and tested option is the way to go.
From his time at the Gold Coast Titans, to now at the Canberra Raiders, Fogarty has been a solid option whenever he has walked onto the park, and is the type of player who can be relied on to get the job done.
He has dragged both Raiders and Titans' sides higher on the ladder than they have any right to be, but is regularly overlooked when conversations are had about top performing halfbacks.
Moving away from those players locking down the halves, the other pressing issue for the Bulldogs is forwards. This may yet be a lessened issue if they manage to secure the signature of Siosiua Taukeiaho, who was seemingly bound for the club after being released weeks ago by the Catalans Dragons, but as yet, no announcement has been made.
As attention turns to 2025 recruitment though, the Bulldogs' lack of depth in the middle third is going to be something the club will likely continue to attempt to address.
While young gun Isaac Matalavea-Booth is coming through the system and will likely push for a debut in 2025, and the club are yet to make contract calls on the likes of Max King and Chris Patolo, they are going to need re-enforcements.
And more than that, they need experience out of a culture that knows how to wing.
And that's where a player like Toby Rudolf comes in. He has the ability to play in big minutes or bursts, defends well and runs hard, while he also has a bit of style that would complement the games of the likes of Burton and Stephen Crichton well.
On the topic of middle forwards with skill and experience, there are few who are going to have more of either component than Tohu Harris.
Off-contract at the Warriors at the end of the 2024 campaign, a move away from Auckland to finish his career seems like a long shot, but it's hardly as if the Bulldogs will be the only Australian side lining up for a play at Harris.
He is one of the best tacklers in the game, and, beyond that, one of the hardest workers and most consistent players in the game, so it's little wonder he'd be high on the wish list of a number of clubs despite the fact he is reaching the back end of his career.
The fact he hasn't been re-signed yet may be more down to the fact he isn't sure if he wants to go around again in 2025 or not, but if he does, and the Warriors can't afford him, watch out for a bidding war.
Halves and forwards are the key, but with the Bulldogs signing more utilities than you could poke a stick at, specialists in key positions will also be critical.
As it stands, Canterbury still have plenty of decisions to make in their outside backs, but need more reinforcements.
A player who started his career in the club at Reimis Smith could be a good option to make his return to Belmore though. Able to play on the wing or in the centres, Smith defends well and knows how to find the tryline.
The Bulldogs are going to have options in their outside backs, but Smith is a better player than most of them on the list for 2025 at the present time.