Ins
Corey Allan (South Sydney Rabbitohs, 2023), Nick Cotric (Canberra Raiders, 2023), Kyle Flanagan (Sydney Roosters, 2023), Jack Hetherington (New Zealand Warriors, 2023), Paul Karaitiana (2021), Chris Patolo (2021), Kurt Picken (2021), Jackson Topine (2021), Corey Waddell (Manly Sea Eagles, 2023)
Outs
Jack Cogger (Huddersfield Giants), Kieran Foran (Manly Sea Eagles), Kerrod Holland (retired), Tim Lafai (released), Marcelo Montoya (New Zealand Warriors), Reimis Smith (Melbourne Storm), Sauaso Sue (Newcastle Knights), Isaiah Tass (Brisbane Broncos), Aiden Tolman (Cronulla Sharks)
The fact Dogs fans celebrated not finishing last shows you everything you need to know about their 2020. They were pretty terrible, although not as bad as their ladder position would suggest. They should have won numerous games, namely against the Dragons.
Canterbury improved substantially under Steve Georgallis following the moving on of Dean Pay. There were certainly some positives signs, however it was obvious the club was looking to 2021 and beyond.
2020 should be relegated to nothing more than a distant memory given the amount of talent headed to the Kennel in the next year or two.
Few teams, if any, have recruited as aggressively or as well as the Bulldogs. They've signed a long-term, point-scoring halfback in Kyle Flanagan, an Origin fullback in Corey Allan, an gun winger in Nick Cotric and two extremely clever acquisitions in Waddell and Hetherington.
Young Flanagan had a brilliant season under tremendous pressure last year at the Roosters. He was, unfairly, made a scapegoat for their "failure" to win a third straight Grand Final. The Bulldogs were in the perfect position to pick Flanagan up and I believe it will prove to be an A+ signing.
Nick Cotric moving into the centres makes him all the more dangerous. You did get the feeling, that despite his incredible try-scoring record, he was a little wasted on the wing. He could prove to be a huge pick up if he can make the switch.
Allan for me is the cherry on the cake. This Dogs outfit was screaming out for a star fullback and in Allan they have secured just that. He was incredible (one mistake aside) on debut for the Maroons after shining for the Bunnies.
They've lost some big names, but truthfully it was time for a clean out. Smith's exit hurts as he'll no doubt become a star in Melbourne, but otherwise the Dogs have it spot on.
See Zero Tackle's own Dan Nichols over at Rugby League Outlaws.
Pressure on recruits: No pressure young Flanagan, but it's up to you to drag a recently terrible side to the finals. Cotric never had an extended run at centres at NRL level? We'll have 15 tries please, and don't even think about missing any tackles.
Of course I'm being sarcastic but there is mounting pressure on the Dogs' new big three recruits to fire right away. Allan , Flanagan and Cotric (all 22-year's-old) become the three biggest attacking weapons in the side. Tough ask, but if given the time they'll have no concerns at all.
Can They Get Burton?: It's no secret that the Dogs are chasing their 2022 signing Matt Burton for an early release... as they should. With due respect to Averillo, the Dogs lack that game changing number six. If reports are true that Napa was requested in a swap deal by the Panthers, I would be filthy as a Dogs fan that they turned that down.
Burton could prove the difference between a lower table finish and a top eight run. Ultimately they shouldn't put all their eggs in this basket, however if there's a chance they can sign Burton early, they need to take it.
Potential Soft Middle: It's going to sound funny after what I said previously but the Dogs look a little lacking in the middle. Hetherington is a clever signing but has major issues with discipline, while Napa hasn't exactly set the world on fire in blue and white.
Ofahiki Ogden and Renouf To'omaga are good options but lack the body of work to be relied on. Luke Thompson started well at the NRL level and will surely step back into the run on side once available. That said, I'd still move Napa on for Burton.
11th
The Dogs will improve in 2021, there's no question. The only real question is by how much? I can't seem them playing finals footy, they're a six, a nine and a prop short of qualifying. That said, they'll be closer to the finals than the wooden spoon.
They're recruited exceptionally well but it will take time to build the side that can consistency run with the big boys. They'll win games this year that they would have lost previously, but this is a slow and steady rebuild.
There are big questions over Trent Barrett as a coach but we'll know much more at the end of this season. The feeling is he's an amazing assistant but looked out of his depth at Manly. Dogs fans will be hoping he's learned from his mistakes.
I'm very much looking forward to a re-energised Bulldogs outfit taking to the park in 2021. I'm a huge fan of Flanagan while Corey Allan's signature completely transforms that backline.
If they can stay fit and win a few games early on, who knows? That said, there's too many deficiencies here to confidently predict anything higher than an 11th-placed finish.
Either way, they'll be a far better side at the end of this season than they were at the end of 2020.