Following the dire results of Des Haslerโs now notorious back ended deals, the Bulldogs are currently undertaking one of the most substantial rebuilds in the history of the NRL under rookie head coach Dean Pay, and boy could they use the help of some of the names on this list.
Having struggled to forge an identity and playing extremely dire football in the last few months of Haslerโs reign, the Bulldogs have predominantly gone away from the previous policy of attracting big name high earners to the club.
With second-year coach Dean Pay wanting to bring back the old โDogs of Warโ moniker, through recruiting a slew of young cut-price talent such as Nick Meaney, Sauaso Sue, Jack Cogger, Corey Harawira Naera and Christian Crichton and simultaneously letting go a host of proven first graders. Here is the top 10 players the Bulldogs have let go, not re-signed or released in the past decade.
6. Moses Mbye
Having grown up in the South East Queensland town of Noosa, Mbye signed with the Bulldogs ahead of the 2011 season to play in their NYC team. Over the coming seasons, Mbye would excel in the Bulldogs lower grades, before eventually making his long-awaited first-grade debut in round eight, 2014.
In 2015, Mbyeโs speed and attacking instinct saw him cement a regular spot in the halves for the Bulldogs alongside Josh Reynolds, and his consistent performances resulted in a bumper $750,000 a year four-year contract extension at the conclusion of the season.
Earmarked as the player to lead them for the next decade in the number seven jersey, Mbye (much like his teammates) struggled through the 2017 season, racking up a paltry two tries across the entire season. However, the appointment of Dean Pay and a positional switch to fullback saw Mbye find a new lease on life, starting the 2018 season in red hot form and averaging 121 running metres from the back.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, that was as good as it got for them, with Mbye joining a long list of players to fall victim to Des Haslerโs back-ended deals. In order to ensure salary cap compliance, Mbye was forced out of the club mid-season and signed with local rivals the Wests Tigers on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
Mbye went onto be involved in 14 tries over the remainder of the season and has since gone onto be named club captain at Concord. Still only 25, the Bulldogs are crying out for a player with the attacking instinct and leadership qualities that Mbye possesses in spades.
