NRL best 17s for 2023: Canterbury Bulldogs

The Canterbury Bulldogs will be aiming for improvement in 2023, and the excuses have just about run out for a club who have had yet another clean out during the off-season.

2022, with a new crop of arriving talent, was supposed to be the year everything changed for the Bulldogs, with Phil Gould also arriving at the club in a director of football role.

Out of the smoke of their long-running salary cap problems, the men from Belmore were supposed to rise, with the likes of Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton and Tevita Pangai Junior arriving at the club.

Instead, they fell apart.

Trent Barrett was gone within half a season, and they would ultimately run at the wrong end of the table, only a handful of wins under Mick Potter stopping them from picking up another wooden spoon.

But now, 2023 brings with it more new recruits - Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney headline the incoming batch, while coach Cameron Ciraldo arrives out of the Penrith Panthers system with new ideas and a hunger for success.

But who will be his first crop of players?

Here is the Canterbury best 17 for 2023.

Recruitment report

Ins: Fa'amanu Brown (Wests Tigers, 2023), Brandon Clarke (2023), Andrew Davey (Manly Sea Eagles, 2024), Samuel Hughes (2023), Viliame Kikau (Penrith Panthers, 2026), Reed Mahoney (Parramatta Eels, 2026), Karl Oloapu (2026), Franklin Pele (Cronulla Sharks, 2024), Hayze Perham (Parramatta Eels, 2024), Jacob Preston (2024), Ryan Sutton (Canberra Raiders, 2025)

Outs: Corey Allan (Sydney Roosters), Matt Doorey (Parramatta Eels), Matt Dufty (Warrington Wolves), Jack Hetherington (Newcastle Knights), Josh Jackson (retired), Jeremy Marshall-King (The Dolphins), Brent Naden (Wests Tigers), Aaron Schoupp (Gold Coast Titans), Ava Seumanufagai (Leigh Leopards), Joe Stimson (Gold Coast Titans), Paul Vaughan (Warrington Wolves), Brandon Wakeham (Wests Tigers)

Re-signed: Declan Casey (2023), Raymond Faitala-Mariner (2025), Max King (2024), Jacob Kiraz (2024), Jackson Topine (2024)

Off-contract 2023: Jake Averillo, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Fa'amanu Brown, Braidon Burns, Declan Casey, Brandon Clarke, Kyle Flanagan, Samuel Hughes, Joseph O'Neill, Jayden Okunbor, Chris Patolo, Malachi Retchford, Josh Reynolds, Luke Thompson, Judda Turahui, Corey Waddell

Full squad

Josh Addo-Carr, Paul Alamoti, Corey Allan, Jake Averillo, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Fa'amanu Brown, Braidon Burns, Matt Burton, Brandon Clarke, Declan Casey, Andrew Davey, Raymon Faitala-Mariner, Kyle Flanagan, Samuel Hughes, Viliame Kikau, Max King, Jacob Kiraz, Reed Mahoney, Joseph O'Neill, Jayden Okunbor, Karl Oloapu, Tevita Pangai Junior, Chris Patolo, Franklin Pele, Hayze Perham, Jacob Preston, Jeral Skelton, Ryan Sutton, Luke Thompson, Jackson Topine, Corey Waddell

Development players: Iverson Matai, Isaac Matalavea-Booth, Joseph O'Neill, Jordan Samrani

Who plays where?

Fullback
The number one jersey is an intriguing discussion to have at Canterbury this year. Jake Averillo made some positive strides last year in the way he transitioned out of the five-eighth and centre slots he previously occupied following the departure of Matt Dufty for the English Super League.

That would suggest he should get the first shot at playing fullback, but the arrival of Hayze Perham throws a spanner in the works here.

At 23 years of age, Perham is an excellent backline utility option who can play anywhere in the back seven apart from halfback - his exit from Parramatta didn't come as an enormous surprise though given the club under-utilised him.

The number one jumper will be a two-horse race, as much as Josh Addo-Carr might want to try his hand at the role.

For his efforts last year, we will suggest Averillo is in the best 17, but don't be surprised if this goes the other way.

Wingers

Josh Addo-Carr might miss out on a switch to the number one jumper again in 2023, but there is little doubt about his presence on the wing.

A true club leader at Belmore, Addo-Carr had a fantastic first season following his switch from Melbourne which was capped by a World Cup performance for the ages in the green and gold.

Who he is joined on the wing by is less certain though, with plenty of options in the Bulldogs' Top 30.

Jacob Kiraz appears to have the inside running on the spot after some excellent performances during the second half of 2022. A prodigious talent, he had been unable to crack first-grade at other clubs, but a move to Belmore saw him do just that last year.

He will likely edge out backline utility Braidon Burns and the towering Jayden Okunbor for the spot, with Okunbor having first-grade experience, but well behind Kiraz in the queue given his struggles with ball-handling and defence.

Hayze Perham, given his backline utility ability, is another option on the wing for Canterbury.

Given some perceived depth options on the wing, don't be surprised if development player Jordan Samrani comes into calculations for a spot at some point during the year.

Centres

If not for injury during the under-19 State of Origin match last year, Paul Alamoti would have debuted. That said, he will almost certainly debut in Round 1.

A powerhouse centre, Alamoti has a long career ahead of him in the NRL.

The other centre will likely start in the form of Braidon Burns, but could ultimately turn into any of a number of options.

If Averillo misses out at centre, then he could line up in the three-quarters, while Perham is another option here.

Declan Casey, who debuted at the back end of 2022 - although jumped Alamoti in the queue - has impressed and could come into calculations, while Jeral Skelton, who has made the move from rugby union, will also likely be an option at some point during the year.

We will take Burns for this side though.

Halves

It's fairly clear that Matt Burton will wear the number six at Belmore - he did so last year, and played the role strongly throughout the course of the campaign, becoming the club's best player despite his young age. He was then selected for New South Wales and Australia.

Should Burton cop an injury at any stage, the options to back him up include Perham and another utility in Fa'amanu Brown, while Iverson Matai features on the development list.

Kyle Flanagan is the clear candidate to start the year in the number seven. He improved during the second half of the year with the shackles taken off under Mick Potter, and has spoken confidently over what he might be able to achieve under Ciraldo this time around.

He has been in and out of the Canterbury side like a yo-yo over the last few years, so will be hoping for a prolonged shot this year behind an ever-improving forward pack, and with excellent service from Reed Mahoney.

The depth options have taken a hit in the halves following the injury to Bailey Biondi-Odo and departure of Brandon Wakeham, but the addition of the club's favourite son Josh Reynolds will add plenty.

Middle forwards

The forward pack for Canterbury is strong - of that there can be no doubt.

Not a great deal has changed from last season, however, the inclusion of Ryan Sutton brings an extra layer of the forward pack, and allows the club to start with three excellent middles.

As good as Max King was last year for the blue and white, his best spot is coming from the bench, which will leave Tevita Pangai Junior and Luke Thompson to start up front, with Sutton at 13.

Sutton isn't a conventional lock forward, but played the role solidly enough for Canberra, and could well interchange with Thompson there after he filled it in recent times.

That leaves Max King as the lead middle forward missing the starting 13, while the addition of Franklin Pele from Cronulla adds plenty of size and strength to the outfit. Andrew Davey - predominantly a second-rower - has played in the middle at Manly during recent times, while both Samuel Hughes and Chris Patolo will fight for minutes during the season.

Hooker

Reed Mahoney has joined the Bulldogs from the Parramatta Eels and will slot straight into the number nine jumper to start the 2023 campaign.

He will hold it for the entirety of the season too unless something goes badly wrong.

Brandon Clarke is the only specialist back up hooker in the top 30, but don't be surprised to see both Josh Reynolds and Fa'amanu Brown spend time in the hooking role throughout the season.

Second-row

New club captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner will line up on one edge, while new arrival Viliame Kikau, who comes from the Penrith Panthers, takes the other.

Faitala-Mariner's return from a long-term injury was one of the bright spots of the 2022 season on the whole, while Kikau's form at Penrith was key in their push to a second-straight premiership.

The back-up options on the edge are strong too. While all of Jackson Topine, Corey Waddell and Andrew Davey are in the fight, it's Jacob Preston who could push his way into minutes.

A strong ball-runner with an impressive turn of pace and good footwork, he proved beyond all reasonable doubt in Canterbury's first trial exactly how good he can be, and will be in the fight for minutes throughout the season.

Interchange

The bench is tricky to pick for the Bulldogs. The utility spot is a race between two. Fa'amanu Brown has plenty of spark and showed plenty on his return to the competition with the Tigers last year, but it's difficult to see him overthrowing Josh Reynolds for the jersey.

The three forwards could go any which way. It should be expected that Max King will be in the side, leaving two spots to be fought out by the rest.

Franklin Pele will take one of the two remaining spots given his enormous impact and ability to turn a game in a matter of minutes, which then leaves the final place for a second-rower.

The question will be, do the Bulldogs go with the experience of Andrew Davey, the talent of Jackson Topine, or the potential of Jacob Preston?

It's difficult to be convinced either way, but Davey's ability to slot into the middle third where needed probably sees him come out on top at this stage.