Following the dire results of Des Hasler’s 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 Hasler’s 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 ‘Dogs of War’ 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.
After signing for the Bulldogs in 2009 and moving to Sydney from his native Bega, Dale Finucane became a constant figure in the Canterbury-Bankstown pack, appearing 66 times for the Bulldogs including the 2012 and 2014 Grand Finals.
Finucane became a fan favourite amongst Bulldogs fans thanks to his high work rate and hard-working demeanour, but sadly for Doggies fans, he was not held in the same esteem by the Bulldogs' hierarchy.
Halfway through the 2015 pre-season, Finucane was released from the remainder of his contract and signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Storm. Finucane has since cemented himself as a favourite of Craig Bellamy, featuring in three Grand Finals and claiming a solitary premiership.
At 27, Finucane is beginning to enter his prime years as a middle forward and has been thrust into Origin contention for the 2019 series thanks to his consistent workmanlike performances over the opening nine rounds. Displayed through his consistent statistical output, including an impressive 125 running metres per game, 32 tackles at an efficiency of 94% and an offload a game.
With plenty of first grade still in front of him, the Bulldogs could have used Finucane to great effect. If they retained him, thanks to his no-frills style of play he could have been cost-effective option to help solve the Bulldogs well-publicised salary cap issues.
After cementing himself as one of the world’s premier forwards with boyhood club St Helen’s, the Bulldogs signed James Graham for the 2012 season.
Over the following five seasons, Graham made 135 appearances for the blue and white, gained the captaincy, and cemented himself as the spiritual leader of the Belmore based club.
Unfortunately for Graham, like a few other names that will feature on this list, he became a victim of then-coach Des Hasler’s notorious back-ended deals. The Englishmen was set to net over a million dollars in the final year of his contract at Belmore and was keen to stay and help be a part of the inevitable rebuild that was staring the Bulldogs in the face. Sadly, Graham was informed that the best way in which he could help the club was to leave.
On the lookout for an experienced forward to lead their young pack, and also goaded by the fact that the Bulldogs would contribute substantially to the first-year of his contract, the St George Illawarra Dragons jumped at the opportunity to sign a player of his calibre in the lead up to the 2018 season.
Graham has since gone onto cement himself as a leader in Wollongong and appear for the Dragons 35 times. Coach Paul McGregor has also lauded Graham for his off the field contribution to the club, helping instill a culture of hard work amongst the Dragons young up and coming forwards, a trait desperately required in Belmore currently.
Of all the players to have left Belmore over the last decade, this one hurt the most for Bulldogs fans. While losing quality players is never a positive, losing a local junior and a man described as “the heart and soul of the team” by current captain Josh Jackson, cut particularly deep for the Bulldogs faithful.
Having been raised in Bulldogs heartland and coming up through the junior ranks, it was widely accepted that Josh Reynolds would re-sign for the only club he had ever known when he came off contract at the end of 2017. However, nearing 30 and needing to ensure his family’s financial security post-football, the Wests Tigers swooped with a lucrative four-year, $3 million deal.
During his time at the kennel, Reynolds cemented himself as one of the game's chief antagonists and a premier five-eighth, leading the Bulldogs to two Grand Finals, as well as steering the Blues to a drought-breaking series victory over Queensland in 2014.
With a proven track record at NRL and representative level, as well as typifying all that was good about Canterbury-Bankstown, it seemed baffling at the time that the Bulldogs would not pull out all the stops to re-sign one of their favourite sons.
While it is true that he has experienced his fair share of injury troubles since departing Belmore, the Bulldogs are in desperate need of a player who can drive high standards within the club, both on and off the field in the wake of their recent cultural and on-field issues, a role the likable Reynolds could do with his eyes closed.
This will definitely go down as one of the more peculiar pieces of business, not only for the Bulldogs but in the entire history of the NRL.
In mid-2017 after the Tigers withdrew their final contract offer to Aaron Woods, the Bulldogs pounced and signed the Leichhardt junior to a mammoth four-year deal. However, in order to accommodate the NSW and Australian prop on the books, the Bulldogs had to push club stalwart and captain James Graham out the door to the Dragons with a year remaining on his contract.
On paper, this seemed like a good trade for the Bulldogs, switching an ageing front-rower for a then 26-year-old international on a similar financial package seemed like smart business. Well, you and I now both know that it wasn’t. Because a mere 11 months into that four-year contract, Woods was forced out the door in order to free up more space from the Bulldogs' mismanaged salary cap.
Woods was snapped up by the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and has since gone onto be a consistent force for the Shire based club in their forward rotation, running for an impressive 140 metres per match in limited minutes for the remainder of 2018.
Having endured another slow start to the season winning only two of their opening nine games, the Bulldogs faithful sure wish they could call upon Woods now.
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, Mbye’s 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 Hasler’s 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.
Another piece of business that at the time, looked like a decent result for the Bulldogs on paper. However, hindsight can be a cruel mistress, and it has certainly proved to be so in this case.
After six successful seasons and 136 games for his beloved Bulldogs, it was decided that Michael Ennis would not be re-signed in order to accommodate the acquisition of much-hyped Cronulla Sharks junior Michael Lichaa to a three-year, $1 million deal.
It was hoped by the higher-ups at Canterbury-Bankstown that Lichaa could replicate Ennis’ dangerous ball-running and probing around the ruck. However, unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Lichaa proved to be an extremely un-inspired signing, with his renowned ball-running game going out the window as the Bulldogs largely struggled without their inspirational leader Ennis.
While his old club was struggling, Ennis was conversely playing some of the best football of his career under Shane Flanagan. With his probing runs out of dummy half and cunning ball-playing close to the line proving to be a great asset to the Sharks. Ennis’ decision to finish his career in the Shire was also vindicated, making a surprise return to the Origin arena for game III of the 2015 series, as well as winning a well-deserved premiership following his efforts in the 2016 season.
Widely regarded as the strongest man in rugby league, many forget that Martin Taupau debuted at the Bulldogs prior to establishing himself as a one-man wrecking ball during his two seasons at the Tigers.
Having played his junior football in Greenacre, Canterbury-Bankstown heartland, Taupau played 21 first grade games across three years before the Bulldogs decided not to re-sign the local junior.
Since that fateful decision, Taupau has gone on to play 24 Tests for the Kiwis and establish himself as one of the NRL’s most dynamic and complete middle forwards, possessing a powerful running and defensive game, as well as being one of the best exponents of the offload in the NRL.
Having just turned 29, Taupau is in his prime as a front-rower and has played as such in his three seasons at the Sea Eagles, spearheading the young Manly pack alongside Jake Trbojevic.
While Ben Barba has largely wasted his talents thanks to a spate of off-field issues in recent years, we must not forget that when the Bulldogs released him to join the Broncos in 2014, it was only a year after he dominated the NRL and was named Dally M Player of the Year.
While his short-lived stay at the Broncos was average at best, he went onto spearhead the Cronulla Sharks charge to the 2016 premiership, as well as claiming the English Super League Man of Steel Award while at St Helens in 2018 prior to returning to the NRL with the Cowboys.
After leaving junior club St-George Illawarra for pastures new, Damien Cook signed for the Bulldogs ahead of the 2014 season.
While his first season at the club was largely unremarkable, featuring predominantly for their reserve grade side, it was in 2015 where Cook began to display his talents. With Michael Lichaa failing to make an attacking impact for the majority of the season, Des Hasler began to inject Cook off the bench towards the back end of the season to great effect. Cook displayed his electric running game and managed to score four tries in seven appearances.
Sadly, for Bulldogs fans, the hierarchy at the club thought Lichaa to be their long-term hooker, and they allowed the now NSW and Australian hooker to join Souths on a two-year deal beginning in 2016.
Once again, hindsight has proven to be a cruel mistress. Since Cook departed the club, the Bulldogs have completely lacked any attacking threat from dummy-half, whilst Cook has gone onto establish himself as the game’s premier attacking hooker.
Chalk this one down as another case of if only for the Doggies faithful.
Much like the departure of Josh Reynolds, this loss cut deep for the Bulldogs faithful. While losing an Origin and international calibre player, not to mention probably the best prop in the game hurts enough, losing a local junior who bled blue and white made it all the worse.
After a well publicised and decorated junior career, Klemmer was signed to a $1 million, three-year deal by his junior club before he had even made his NRL debut. He would go onto feature 113 times for the Bulldogs, as well as 12 Origins and 17 Tests.
With the Bulldogs undoubtedly in a rebuilding phase heading into the 2018 season, the club and their fanbase were blindsided when favourite son Klemmer requested a release ahead of the 2019 pre-season, citing off-field issues and a desire to get out of Sydney for his reasoning to depart the only club he had ever known.
While the Bulldogs did the right thing by Klemmer, honouring his wishes and allowing the fiercely protective family man to raise his children in an environment he deemed appropriate, that will do little to console Doggies fans who have watched another outstanding local junior walk out the door to join a rival club.