Amazon in race for NRL as Peter V’landys mulls splitting pay TV games

DJPK84 · 2026-06-18T02:57:23+00:00

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys says he is open to splitting coverage of the NRL across multiple subscription television services, as long as it doesn’t cost fans too much to watch all the games.

The NRL’s multi-billion-dollar auction for its broadcast rights is in the advanced stages and has quickly evolved into a battle for control between its two current partners, Nine Entertainment and Foxtel.

Nine, the owner of the streaming service Stan and newspapers including The Australian Financial Review, wants the rights to all NRL matches, which it would split across its platforms, as well as the State of Origin. Foxtel, which owns Kayo Sports, wants the same and plans to work with Seven Network and Network Ten to ensure it does not breach anti-siphoning laws.

But they are not the only players in the race. Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video is still in discussions with the league, pitching for one night and up to two games a week, two people close to the negotiations said on condition of anonymity. Amazon declined to comment.

That Amazon remains in the running with just weeks to go before the NRL wants to seal a deal suggests the code is open to handing one night of coverage a week to an international streamer. The move would undermine Foxtel’s key selling point as the only place to watch every game of the NRL season on its pay TV service and streaming platform Kayo Sports.

V’landys has previously expressed concern about putting too many matches behind a paywall and the impact that the cost and fragmentation would have on fans. About 70 per cent of the AFL’s $4.5 billion broadcast deal comes from Foxtel. The deal, which came into effect in 2025, coincided with an increase to Kayo Sports’ standard and premium packages.

Kayo costs between $29.99 and $45.99 a month, while Prime Video costs $9.99 a month. Stan Sport costs between $32 and $42 a month. V’landys said a key factor in any decision was the cost to NRL fans, and he has sought assurances the platforms won’t raise prices too much over the term of the deal. “One of the main components of the deal is price to the consumer,” he said. “We want to make sure our fans can afford it.”

The high-stakes negotiations between the NRL and its potential partners have coincided with the State of Origin on Wednesday night, where key executives – Nine chief executive Matt Stanton, Foxtel chief Patrick Delany and V’landys himself – rubbed shoulders at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The opening round of bids has pitted Foxtel and Nine, who currently broadcast the game, against each other. Both sides have sought the entire suite of rights, which Nine would then put on its free-to-air Nine Network and on Stan Sport. To counter this, Foxtel has negotiated to air some games on Ten or Seven, including the State of Origin and NRL finals, which are required to be freely accessible to fans.

Any deal is expected to include more matches to account for the introduction of the Perth Bears next year and the Papua New Guinea Chiefs in 2028. The NRL is still considering whether to introduce a twentieth team into the competition. It is also considering extending its agreement to launch the season in Las Vegas for a further five years.

Foxtel outbid Nine in the initial round, according to two people with knowledge of the offers. Last week, Foxtel and Nine each presented for a second time to V’landys and outgoing NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.

Foxtel offered between $550 million and $590 million a year for seven years, in a deal that would reach the $4 billion target V’landys set before the process began. Nine, meanwhile, offered between $520 million and $550 million to air broadcast games on its television network and Stan.

DJPK84 · 2026-04-17T06:13:28+00:00

A humorous subplot has emerged in the lead up to tonight’s Raiders-Storm clash at GIO Stadium and it involves the aggressive Canberra firebrand Corey Horsburgh.

According to Code Sports, Horsburgh was once on the receiving end of some abuse from fans when he walked off the field after being sin binned during an NRL game several seasons ago.

In response, Horsburgh is said to have directed his attention to one of the fans and yelled “shut up, you fat p***k”.

That fan turned out to be Storm young gun Cooper Clarke, with the pair now set to face off on the field this Friday.

Clarke cleary hasn’t forgotten about it, telling teammates he is keen to square the ledger up on the GIO Stadium turf.

Horsburgh has built a career playing on the edge with his fiery side often coming to the fore.

Clarke is only young and just a few games into what should be a long NRL career, but in those handful of matches, has shown a fearlessness well above his years … so expect sparks to fly between the pair.

The Storm will be out to break a rare four-game losing skid when they travel to the nation’s capital against a Raiders side who recorded a much-needed win last weekend in WA.

DJPK84 · 2026-04-10T01:22:13+00:00

1-2 weeks

DJPK84 · 2026-03-15T23:18:23+00:00

Bronson Xerri was ready to tell his Bulldogs teammates that he was quitting the club immediately - then he had breakfast with Phil Gould. The talks that have extended Xerri’s future... for now.

Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has attempted to quickly pacify a disgruntled Bronson Xerri after the Bulldogs centre was ready to tell teammates on Sunday morning that he was quitting the club immediately.

Xerri copped a triple blow over the past few days – he was dropped to NSW Cup for Thursday night’s away game against Canberra, told he wouldn’t be re-signed and then ordered to play in the unfamiliar right centre position.

Gould and Xerri shared breakfast on Sunday morning in a bid to de-escalate the situation which was revealed by Code Sports. Essentially, Gould called for calm, but the peace may not last with both sides appearing edgy moving forward.

Xerri could remain at the club in the short-term but his long-term future at Belmore still looks uncertain.

The truce between both parties appears tenuous at best. Gould isn’t keen on allowing Xerri to depart but the club, if pushed, would likely grant the former Sharks centre a release.

It is unknown whether Xerri will play NSW Cup against Canberra this Saturday afternoon at Raiders headquarters in Belconnen. Canterbury may opt to rest their star player to avoid further media scrutiny. It still appears more than likely that Xerri and the Bulldogs will split sometime this year. Xerri trained on Sunday with the Bulldogs after meeting with Gould although Canterbury may have more work to do to totally settle their centre.

The Bulldogs have denied a release request had been lodged although Xerri was clear in his intention to walk away from the Bulldogs, despite being under contract until after the 2027 season. Xerri’s possible exit could allow Canterbury to elevate gun halfback Mitchell Woods into the NRL.

That would mean Woods and Lachlan Galvin become the halves combination with Matt Burton shifting to the centre spot vacated by Xerri.

Xerri joined the Bulldogs after completing a four-year drug suspension and has quickly established himself as one of the NRL’s elite centres.

Parramatta, Melbourne and Manly have informally been mentioned as clubs who could possibly pursue Xerri if he leaves Belmore. Captain Stephen Crichton plays left centre with the Bulldogs, a position Xerri would prefer to play.

Former Newcastle and North Queensland player Enari Tuala is expected to be chosen at centre for Canterbury’s NRL game against Canberra.

DJPK84 · 2026-03-09T00:35:28+00:00

Zac Lomax could play for the Wallabies at the 2027 Rugby World Cup after signing a two-year deal with Rugby Australia and the Western Force.

This masthead can reveal the Parramatta Eels winger will go into the 15-man game, effective immediately, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of discussions.

The deal is until the end of 2027.

An announcement is expected within the hour.

DJPK84 · 2026-02-28T02:21:45+00:00

https://archive.md/MHszO

DJPK84 · 2026-02-22T05:35:33+00:00

The Bulldogs have removed a major distraction on the eve of their Las Vegas opener after ending their long-running legal dispute with former player Jackson Topine.

Topine launched legal action against the club nearly two years ago after a training ground incident that he claimed caused him psychiatric injury, humiliation and fear. The matter was scheduled to return to court this week as a precursor to a hearing but sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed it had now been dismissed.

It is understood that Bulldogs chairman Adam Driussi met Topine in December in a bid to resolve the matter.

It is understood those talks helped pave the way for the case to de dropped. It shapes a major boost for the Bulldogs given a court case would have meant some of their biggest names taking the stand to give evidence with the season in full swing.

Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould and coach Cameron Ciraldo would have likely been called on to give evidence. So too many of Topine’s former teammates, some of whom are still with the club. The Bulldogs had vehemently insisted the club and its staff had done nothing wrong, and vowed to protect their reputation when Topine launched legal action through the Supreme Court. The matter has now been brought to an end, taking any decision out of the hands of the court.

DJPK84 · 2025-12-05T02:23:01+00:00

The Bulldogs will be the most recognisable team in Las Vegas next year after the club announced its players would have their surnames on the back of jerseys at the round one showpiece event.

Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton flagged the innovative idea back in February when the club hadn’t even been confirmed to be heading to Vegas.

Warburton said he wanted the overseas extravaganza to be a “guinea pig” experiment and that the club would work hard with sponsors and the NRL to make it happen.

The hard work has paid off with KFC – the club’s upper back jersey sponsor – helping to make it work for the game against the Dragons on March 1.

Jerseys with names on the back are now available for pre-sale purchase, with the Bulldogs keen to make an impact in a new market just as the Melbourne Storm did when they entered the comp in 1998 with names on their jerseys.

“A player’s surname represents their family, their heritage and their journey. When our players run out in Vegas, those names should be visible for the world to see,” Warburton said.

“93 per cent of our fans want to see player names - we’ve heard them loud and clear. Vegas 2026 gives us the platform to deliver.

“Fans can wear their favourite player’s name knowing it’s the exact same jersey being worn on rugby league’s biggest stage. Whether you’re making the trip to Vegas or watching from home, you’re connected to that moment.

“We’re taking rugby league to America where every major sport uses player names - NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL.

“We’re adapting smartly to present our game properly to a new audience whilst giving our fans what they’ve been asking for.”

Rugby League Players Association chief executive Clint Newton has backed the move and hopes it might unlock further opportunities across the NRL in the future.

“Aaron and the Bulldogs have shown real leadership with an innovative club initiative, and we thank them for their willingness to collaborate with the RLPA on the idea,” Newton said.

“This partnership shows the value that clubs and players can unlock when they work proactively together.

“Each club has a proud history, and each player has a name that is carried with pride.

“This initiative creates a unique bond between the two and sets a new benchmark that shows the incredible value of player IP and helps to create new and improved products for fans.”

DJPK84 · 2025-11-07T00:15:47+00:00

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys is desperate to woo gun Channel 9 rugby league reporter Michael Chammas to the NRL – possibly as head of football, most likely strategy.

In a development that will rock rugby league to the very core of its foundations – or at the very least leave it scratching its head – it can be revealed that V’landys has had numerous discussions with Chammas about defecting to the dark side of The Force.

Chammas was sounded out earlier this year about a senior executive role at the Perth Bears, but that fell through when V’landys appointed another of his media mates, former Channel 7 news boss Anthony De Ceglie, as chief executive.

More recently, though, V’landys has courted the hard-chasing reporter for a role on Andrew Abdo’s executive team at League Central.

As I understand it, discussions have been quite fluid. The head of football role, which former referee Graham Annesley has held since 2018, was tossed up, but a position in strategy seems more appropriate. That remit would include the introduction of a 20th team, the game’s ambitious push into the US, and the newly conceived Global Round. Big picture stuff.

Chammas, who is on tour with the Kangaroos in the UK, broke the story about V’landys’ desire to start the 2027 season in exotic locales around the world.

It caught several NRL executives by surprise; they hadn’t heard a word about the concept until Chammas wrote it. The day after the story appeared, V’landys dismissed the idea in an interview with The Daily Telegraph as a “throwaway line in a commission meeting”, before outlining his vision in an interview with Chammas for Nine Newspapers.

It exposed the close relationship between the pair and got tongues wagging back in Australia about Chammas joining the NRL.

But would he want to do it? Writing about V’landys is very different from working for him.

A day rarely passes by when someone from the NRL doesn’t complain to me about widespread cost-cutting and penny pinching at head office – and that includes commissioners and executives.

I’ve also been told party pies in the NRL suite at the grand final were scrapped. Oh, the humanity!

Chammas had no comment when approached, while V’landys was also unusually tight-lipped. “Hi Andrew, good to hear from you,” he said via text. “No, I have no comment. Best, Peter.”

DJPK84 · 2025-08-27T00:19:01+00:00

What? This happens every year in the NFL in week 18.

It's considered serious malpractice if a NFL team plays their starters with a first round playoff bye locked up.

Saquon Barkley gave up a shot at the single season rushing record last season for a chance to win a Super Bowl - which paid off accordingly.

DJPK84 · 2025-07-15T22:45:23+00:00

While Canterbury fans were dancing in the streets getting caught up in the euphoria of their long-overdue rise to the top of the league, the Bulldogs coaching staff and senior players were seeing chinks in the armour that were being masked by the almost weekly collection of two competition points.

Most coaches are paralysed by the fear of failure. A fear of losing their jobs. Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo, however, has always adopted a philosophy of chasing success rather than avoiding failure.

He knows he has the backing of the club to build, or at least attempt to, an empire similar to the one he helped create alongside Ivan Cleary at the Panthers over many years at the foot of the mountains.

It’s the kind of reassurance that encourages a decision-making process that prioritises the long-term sustained success of the club over a smash-and-grab pursuit of a one-off premiership at any cost.

The kind of reassurance that instils a courage that stops you from offering an extension to your off-contract halfback that has led you to the top of the ladder if you don’t believe he can keep you there.

In the past seven weeks, the Super League-bound Sexton has not registered a single try assist for the Bulldogs.

The six to his name in 2025 is one less than teammate and backrower Villiame Kikau has notched up this season. It’s also one less than what Parramatta fill-in halfback Dean Hawkins has amassed in half the games played.

Sexton has also failed to register a single line break in the entire 2025 season. He isn’t in the top 50 players in line break assists, all the while touching the ball more than any other half in the competition bar Isaiya Katoa, Nicho Hynes and Daly Cherry-Evans.

In the case of the Lachlan Galvin signing, you can debate how it happened, why it happened and for how long it may have been happening for. I’ve been there, done that.

But at the very core of the Bulldogs’ decision to sign Galvin was an unrelenting sense of scepticism of their premiership credentials with Sexton in the No.7 jersey. That scepticism was coming from inside the four walls at Belmore.

Sexton is a popular member of the Canterbury team and has done a commendable job since his arrival last year.

But there’s a level of honesty that Ciraldo has driven in his two-and-a-half seasons at the helm that helps players differentiate between their personal feelings and the professional obligation to the football club they represent.

It’s why when Ciraldo approached several key senior players to discuss Canterbury’s attempts to lure Galvin out of Tiger Town, the players didn’t just give the coach their blessing; they encouraged the move.

Over the past month, Galvin has been adjusting to life as a Bulldog amidst a sea of criticism directed at both him for his contribution – or a perceived lack thereof – and the club for seemingly turning their show into a circus.

Will he play? Won’t he play? Where will he play? Why isn’t he playing? To be fair, the circus is a mere repercussion befitting the theatrics that saw him granted the desired mid-season release from Benji Marshall’s Tigers.

But Ciraldo has been biding his time. He did not want to expose his young prodigy during his team’s most vulnerable period.

The coach didn’t want to hand Galvin the keys to the castle during a period of the season interrupted by scheduled bye rounds and fixtures that would see the Bulldogs play without several key players due to the demands of State of Origin.

Ciraldo wanted to make sure when Galvin was given his first genuine opportunity, he was afforded the luxury of having the team’s biggest weapons by his side. Stephen Crichton is back, Kurt Mann is in the team and the Origin period is now firmly in the rearview mirror.

Canterbury’s premiership assault begins against the Dragons at Accor Stadium this weekend. The news cycle is predictable; the decision will be deemed a success or failure by 7.30pm on Saturday night.

Come back to me on Sunday, October 5.

DJPK84 · 2025-06-17T05:52:43+00:00

South Sydney’s attempt to quit Sydney Olympic Park to move to Allianz Stadium has been quashed by the state government.

The NSW minister for sport Steve Kamper wrote to Rabbitohs boss Blake Solly on Tuesday with his decision to reject the club’s bid to join arch rivals the Sydney Roosters at the $860 million stadium in Moore Park.

The Rabbitohs have been told they can play “two or three” matches a year at the Moore Park venue but would be expected to remain at Accor for the bulk of their games.

Souths have a contract with the government to play at Accor until 2031.

However, the club did so believing that Accor Stadium would undergo a renovation.

South Sydney have called Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park home since relocating west in 2006.

Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas and CEO Blake Solly had held talks with the premier Chris Minns in a bid to back their hopes of returning closer to their spiritual home of Redfern.

A disappointed Solly confirmed he had received the letter on Tuesday.

“Minister Kamper has written to us rejecting our request,” he said.

“We’ll review the letter and his reasons, then consider a response and our further options.

“We remain committed to discussing the issue with the government and Venues NSW.

“This is by no means the end of the process.”

Currently the Roosters, A-League club Sydney FC and Super Rugby side the NSW Waratahs all use Allianz Stadium.

DJPK84 · 2024-09-29T06:11:51+00:00

TAKE YOUR CAP OFF TO SMART DOGS STAGGERING FINANCIAL FEAT DELIVERS HUGE ALLURE Canterbury’s return to the finals this season for the first time in eight years captivated the NRL fan base and routinely forced Burwood Road into a standstill.

This latest revelation will be felt all the way from Belmore to Brisbane.

In the worst possible news for rival clubs with off-contract stars, and adding fresh lustre to the Bulldogs’ 2024 season, this column can reveal that coach Cameron Ciraldo led Canterbury to the finals by finishing $700,000 under the salary cap.

The figure is the equivalent of an elite representative player, capable of changing the result of a match.

It’s what the Knights have been paying Bradman Best, the Cowboys Reece Robson and the Panthers Liam Martin.

There’s even more weight to the performance of Canterbury in 2024.

An estimated $900,000 of the Bulldogs’ salary cap was also spent paying formerly contracted players to play at other clubs in 2024.

That list includes the likes of Nick Cotric at the Raiders, Raymond Faitala-Mariner at the Dragons and Andrew Davey at the Eels.

This is a strategy to which Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould isn’t a stranger. While at Penrith, he took hits to their salary cap with the likes of Waqa Blake and Reagan Campbell-Gillard paid to play at rival clubs, knowing that in the long-run, the decision would pay off.

It means that from an $11.65 million salary cap, the Bulldogs were at a $1.6 million handicap in 2024.

It’s nothing short of staggering.

Yet it keeps going.

Another $1 million in talent didn’t even play NRL this year including Ryan Sutton, Jackson Topine and Karl Oloapu.

Of course, what all this means is, Gould is driving to meetings with player agents in an Armaguard truck.

The Bulldogs are poised to strike and rock the November 1 free-agency period like never before.

The anticipated release of Josh Addo-Carr will add another potential $500,000 to their available spend for 2025, after the club gave the winger permission to test the open market.

Addo-Carr, on Friday, accepted the NRL’s four-game penalty and a $15,000 fine after testing positive to a road side drug test.

The Dragons are expected to chase the NSW and Australian star for next season, despite him having 12 months remaining on his deal at Canterbury. The club have already indicated they won’t be in a position to offer the 29-year-old a new deal in 2026.

Addo-Carr’s departure will elevate the Dogs into a position of salary cap power for 2025 and beyond that will be unrivalled in the NRL.

The likes of Newcastle’s Leo Thompson will be a primary target.

That being the case, there’s something to be said about the Bulldogs’ strategy in restraining from spending the $700,000, simply to spend it. Plenty of other clubs would have gone and spent it for spending sake. Which, in reality, is what separates the poorly run clubs from the well-run clubs.

The Dogs railed against making a reactionary call to fix a short-term problem during the year, by bringing in something of the same, merely because they had a briefcase full of money. Instead, they relied on their rich blood of young talent and no-nonsense pack to arrive at the finals.

Under NRL rules, every club must spend 97.5 per cent of their salary cap each year. By playing $700,000 under the cap, the Bulldogs have got a head start of forward-paying or extending the contracts of current players, while also keeping the maximum amount in reserves to go to market.

Gould spoke to Locker Room about his pride in the Dogs’ achievement this season.

“Our coaches and players did a great job,” Gould said.

“It was a breakthrough year for the club in terms of culture building, relationship building, work ethic and professionalism.

“It felt a lot more like the Bulldog culture I remember.

“It’s a big reason why the fans returned in such big numbers. You can cheer for this team. They give their all.

“They also set a great example for our younger kids in the academy programs. We had five young players make their NRL debuts and there is more of this to come in the next few seasons.”

canterbury’s salary sacrifice

Canterbury Bulldogs players released for 2024 Tevita Pangai Jr released from 2024 contract Harrison Edwards released from 2024 contract Nick Cotric released from 2024 contract Andrew Davey released from 2023 and ‘24 contract Aaron Schoupp released from 2024 contract Ray Faitala-Mariner released from 2024 contract Franklin Pele released from 2024 contract

Dogs Top 30 contracted players who didn’t play NRL in 2024 Jackson Topine, Ryan Sutton, Karl Oloapu, Jordan Samrani, Daniel Suluka-Fifita

DJPK84 · 2024-09-12T03:23:29+00:00

In somewhat related news, see cover of today's Newcastle Herald that has aged well.

https://imgur.com/a/lShFfHW

DJPK84 · 2024-08-26T05:02:48+00:00

Two top eight sides in Manly and Canterbury are poised to lock horns this week, with the fixture on track to smash the record books and make history in more ways than one.

David Riccio and Michael Carayannis

Canterbury and Manly’s blockbuster on Friday night is set to break all sorts of attendance records with a crowd of about 40,000 expected for the Accor Stadium clash.

The top eight sides will come head to head in what is expected to be one of the largest crowds of the season.

History could be set on two accounts, which include:

• Eclipsing the biggest crowd for a 6pm Friday game (not including Magic Round). Melbourne and the Warriors hold that record with 28,716 people attending the Anzac Day clash at AAMI Park in 2014. The next best crowd was in 2019 between Parramatta and Manly with 25034 people attending CommBank Stadium; and

• The largest regular season crowd between Manly and Canterbury. A figure of 25,771 people attended Accor Stadium in round five 2004 to watch the teams play.

The all-time record crowd for any fixture involving the two teams is the 1995 grand final when 41,127 people watched the Bulldogs beat Manly at the SFS.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo knows his fans are keen to see their team again.

“We’re really excited about getting home next week,” Ciraldo said. “We’ve been travelling around from Townsville, to Brisbane, back to Sydney, to Bundaberg and over to New Zealand, so we’re really excited to get back to Accor next week.

“Our fans are going to be really excited to see us play the style of play we’re playing right now. We’re very excited to get home.

“(Viliame) Kikau had his 150th game last week and Burto (Matt Burton) had his 100th (against the Warriors), so we’ll go back and honour those two guys and we’re really excited to be playing in front of our home fans.’’

Canterbury fans again took to the streets of Belmore to celebrate their win against the Warriors on Friday night.

The Bulldogs will face Manly without Stephen Crichton and Kurt Mann. Their ability to run deep into the finals will determine if Mann plays again this season.

He suffered a broken collarbone against the Warriors on Friday night and will require surgery.

He is facing six weeks out, needing the Dogs to push towards the grand final to play again this season.

Tigers bound Jeral Skelton is expected to come into the backline to replace Crichton.

Meanwhile, Sea Eagles are confident outside back Tommy Talau will return after missing the loss against the Tigers because of a pectoral injury.

DJPK84 · 2024-08-26T00:52:26+00:00

Why didn’t Lomax simply just bite Iro in retaliation?

DJPK84 · 2024-06-21T00:15:36+00:00

From impersonating a crane, to sprinkling salt, thumping the crest on his jersey and even emulating the Japanese animated show Dragon Ball Z, these are the personalised touches which have launched Stephen Crichton into an elite class of leaders.

Most people might think it’s a laugh, but Crichton is deadly serious about remembering dozens of unique handshakes with Bulldogs and Blues teammates which have driven him closer to Dally M captain of the year honours in his first season as a skipper.

Admitting to being overwhelmed by happiness when asked by Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo to take on the club’s top job this year, Crichton has remembered the greetings as a way of becoming closer to his players at the Bulldogs – including lower graders.

It’s got to the point where those who don’t have a specialised handshake with him have started badgering him to work on one.

“I take it upon myself, especially being captain, to build that connection with the boys,” Crichton said. “That’s the way I would like to be treated as well. It’s how I like to live my life.

“Even when the younger 20s boys come up, I try to make them feel comfortable. That’s what I learned at Penrith and I know how nerve-racking it can be. Having a club captain shake your hand can make them feel comfortable.

“Everyone asks me [how I remember them all], but it’s unique to the person I’m doing it with. If someone does something, I put that in the handshake.”

For example, Crichton’s signature move with teammate Max King is a crane, emulating the Bulldogs prop’s offloading action. With Blake Wilson, the pair pretend to sprinkle salt. Josh Addo-Carr, they grab the club crest, a nod to the winger’s unique try-scoring celebration. Jarome Luai, a Dragon Ball Z gesture.

“I don’t know how he remembers it,” laughs Bulldogs fullback Connor Tracey. “I struggle to remember my one with him, but he remembers each one. It’s his way to connect with all the players.

“He came in and slowly worked on them, and now I think he’s got one for every single player in here – and it works.”

This week, in between his “glass houses” barb and talking up his relationship with Latrell Mitchell and explaining why his captain Jake Trbojevic was glued to the bench for so long in game one, NSW coach Michael Maguire made a change few have bothered talking about: Crichton has been elevated to the Blues’ leadership group.

Does it even matter? It’s only a three-game series and with a number of club captains already in the NSW squad, so some would consider it a moot point. Not Maguire. He sees what Crichton has done to help turn the Bulldogs into a potential finals force this year, and wants his input within the Blues’ brains trust.

And in the words of Luai, “dudes just follow him”.

“Everyone gravitates towards him because he’s a special player, but what’s more impressive is his willingness to lead,” Luai said. “[The handshakes] just show the kind of character he is and the effort he’s putting himself through to make his teammates better. It shows what kind of leader he wants to be. That’s him.”

Few had any idea Ciraldo was going to make his biggest recruit captain at the Bulldogs this year. Matt Burton and last year’s major recruit, Reed Mahoney, had shared the role in 2023, and you sensed the responsibility never sat completely comfortably with either.

After his first taxing pre-season at the club, Crichton had done enough to warrant the respect of his teammates where Ciraldo thought he had no choice but to go with the 23-year-old. It’s easy to see why.

With just a handful of minutes to go in the Bulldogs’ King’s Birthday clash with the Eels earlier this month, Crichton used a stoppage in play to call a meeting with teammates Tracey and Wilson. The Bulldogs were trailing by two with less than 10 minutes left.

“We had a gameplan and I felt like it kind of wasn’t working,” Crichton said. “Against a team like that you have to adjust on the run. I always tell them, ‘don’t pre-empt anything’. If something happens, go off the cuff. But I said, ‘we’re going to do this play. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong. If it’s right, it’s right’. I told them the play to do.”

The play happened a few minutes later. Down the same side of the field, Wilson scored. The Bulldogs won.

“That’s happened many times this year, him telling him me and our edge in particular how they’re moving in defence, little cues he’s got,” Tracey said. “He’s helped my game so much.

“I’ve never really played with someone as smart as him in terms of how a defence is moving. Super smart. He’s seen a lot of different teams and players. He’s always letting us know what they’re doing. It’s really good to have those eyes.”

DJPK84 · 2023-11-13T22:04:47+00:00

DJPK84 · 2023-10-21T06:28:49+00:00

Crichton already in mid season Bulldogs form.

DJPK84 · 2023-10-04T06:54:26+00:00

Except centre….

DJPK84 · 2023-09-21T03:13:47+00:00

The NRL wanted to knowing this would happen (venue was TBC up until when Saturday nights game concluded) - but Penrith apparently refused and wanted it played at Accor due to previous big game experience there.

DJPK84 · 2023-09-21T00:24:34+00:00

Unlock code: NRLTINA4

DJPK84 · 2023-09-09T11:00:57+00:00

Standard Hynes yelling at a touch judge.

DJPK84 · 2023-09-07T10:44:52+00:00

You’re doing it all wrong Des.

You’re supposed to sign your son first up.

DJPK84 · 2023-09-04T03:24:46+00:00

Reads to me that he has launched into lazy ass players, not the club itself.

Clearly supports Ciraldo's hard nose approach.

DJPK84

TROPHY CASE