Bulldogs (rugby league team)
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| Bulldogs | |
 |
|
| Full name | Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Bulldogs |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1935 as Canterbury-Bankstown |
| Ground | Telstra Stadium Homebush, Sydney |
| Capacity | 83,500 |
| CEO |  Malcolm Noad |
| Coach | Steve Folkes |
| League | National Rugby League |
| 2006 | National Rugby League, 3rd |
The Bulldogs (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs) are a professional rugby league club in the National Rugby League (NRL), the premier rugby league football competition in Australia.
Based in Belmore, a suburb of Sydney, the Bulldogs were admitted in 1935 to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, a predecessor of the current NRL competition.
The Bulldogs won their first premiership in just their fourth season (1938). At the time it made them the quickest non-foundation club to win a premiership after admission to the competition, a record which was only recently beaten in 1999 by the Melbourne Storm. They won a second premiership in 1942 but then had to wait another 38 years before breaking through for a third title in 1980.
During the 80s, the Bulldogs were a dominant force in the competition, appearing in five Grand Finals, winning four of them. In the 90s they featured in the 1995 and 1998 Grand Finals, winning the former. Their most recent success was in 2004 when they beat the Sydney Roosters 16 - 13. The try-scorers were Hazem El Masri and Matt Utai, and the Clive Churchill Medal winner was Willie Mason.
Contents |
[edit] History
- For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs History.
The Country Bumpkins
Thirteen years after a meeting above "The Ideal Milk Bar" in Campsie created the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League, football lovers of the working class south-west of Sydney finally got their own team in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership.
The year was 1935. Sydney was in the grip of the Great Depression and training was on McMahon's paddock near Belmore Station with car headlights an occasional luxury on dark nights.
But right from the start the men who laid the foundations for the Bulldogs thrived on adversity. It took the new club, nicknamed "Country Bumpkins" because of their rural recruiting & CB emblem, just 3 years to win their first premiership.
The grand final winning effort was repeated again in 1942 before a 25 year drought set in.
The Berries
In 1967, having ended the 11-year premiership reign of the great St.George by knocking them out in the final, "The Berries" as they were known at the time, went down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the grand final. But the return to the top end of the table set the scene for off-field restructuring that laid the foundations for the club to become one of the most consistent achievers in the remaining decades of the century.
The Entertainers
In 1978 Canterbury-Bankstown became known as "The Bulldogs". "Cantabs" "See Bees" & "Berries" were seen to be "soft" nicknames and the club wanted something to signify determination and grit.
A grand final appearance in 1979 followed by a grand final win in 1980 with a young, enthusiastic and free-running side dubbed "The Entertainers", was the beginning of a golden era that was to produce three more grand final wins in the 80's: 1984, 1985 and 1988.
The Bulldogs
In 1998 the Bulldogs came awfully close to adding another trophy to the cabinet after battling their way to the Grand Final where they met the Brisbane Broncos and went down 38-12. On the way to the 1998 Grand Final the Bulldogs pulled off one of the most remarkable victories in the history of the game. After trailing by 14 points with ten minutes remaining, the Bulldogs somehow got home 32-20 winners in extra time thanks to a brilliant try to Rod Silva and two pressure conversions from Daryl Halligan.
The Bulldogs did well in 2003, however they fell one step short of yet another Grand Final after going down to the Roosters 28-18 in the Preliminary Final.
Year 2004 was a tribute to both Steve Folkes ability as a coach and the determination of a squad that refused to buckle. Despite the clubs well-documented off-field dramas, the Bulldogs somehow managed to maintain their focus on football and were rewarded with the ultimate prize when they held out arch rivals the Sydney Roosters in a 16-13 thriller, the perfect ending for departing captain Steve Price and a fitting way to cap off the clubs' 70th anniversary season.
Their eighth premiership trophy moved the club into a clear 5th place in the all-time tally.
The Bulldogs were unable to mount a serious defence of the title in 2005 as injuries and contract negotiations saw the year start and finish on a sour note for the club. Due to the extent of injuries suffered, the team at times was unable to be at full-strength. This took its toll in the final six weeks of the season, the club suffering heavy losses and missing the finals series.
In 2006, little was expected from the club after a lacklustre 2005 season, but despite some doubt over the strength of their side, the Bulldogs' impressive forward pack helped them to a better than expected result for the year, finishing just a game short of the Grand Final, in which they lost to eventual premiers the Brisbane Broncos.
[edit] Crest
The initial emblem was a 'C-B' in a shield and nickname 'C-B's or (derisively) 'Country Bumpkins'. By the mid 1940s the club were nicknamed the Berries, a name which persisted until the 1978 season when the bulldog emblem was chosen. There have been at least two versions of the logo, although the latest version has seen two styles, the latest with larger 'Bulldogs' text to make it friendlier to the eye. The earlier style of the currently logo can be seen at the top of this page, and is characterised by the smaller lettering.
The Bulldogs started life as Canterbury-Bankstown. The club had the semi-official nickname of the Berries up until 1978 when the name was changed to the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. In the 1990s the official name was changed around a few times. From the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, it went to the slightly grander title of the Sydney Bulldogs for two short seasons, and then returned to simply 'Canterbury', before becoming the geographically indistinct "Bulldogs" in 1999 - an attempt to broaden their appeal across the Rugby League community. Despite this, many supporters, TV and radio commentators continue to refer to them as 'Canterbury'.
[edit] Colours
The Bulldogs have played in predominantly blue and white strip since the club entered the league in 1935. The only exception to this was during the Second World War, when rationing meant they had to wear a maroon jersey with a blue 'V'.[1]
There have been three basic strip designs since the club's inception in the top flight league competition:
- Now known as the Vintage Strip, which has been used recently in occasional 'heritage' matches, this jersey had alternating thick horizontal blue and white bands with thin blue and white borders, with black shorts. This was used from 1935 until at least 1962.
- From 1970 to 1972, the club adopted a jersey of thin blue and white stripes. This reverted to the 'V' from 1973 onwards.
- The 'V' Strip, which was first used sometime before 1965. This consisted of a blue 'V' with a blue saddle over the shoulders on an otherwise white jersey with blue shorts. The current design is a little more 'aerodynamic' with the 'V' having a concave shape. The club also has an away strip in which the blue and white are reversed. There was an alternate design in the late 90s where the 'V' strip had a grey trim and was worn with white shorts.
[edit] Stadium
- Various home grounds 1935
- Belmore Sports Ground (1936-1994, 1996-1998)
- Parramatta Stadium (1995)
- Telstra Stadium (formerly Stadium Australia) (1999-2000, 2003-present)
- Sydney Showground (2001-2005)
In the clubs first season, they were not allocated many home games, and instead took what clashes they did have to Marrickville or Pratten Park.
Belmore became the spiritual home of the Bulldogs for the formative years of the club, right until the NRL era, where criteria issues meant they had to shift to the newly constructed Stadium Australia in Homebush Bay. They varied between this venue and its neighbouring RAS Sydney Showground until 2005, when overwhelming demand from fans saw them ditch the Showground, thought to be a very poor Rugby League venue, to move full-time to the Olympic venue.
The club's training and head office remain at Belmore Sports Ground, however in 2007 it is believed all facilities will be shifted to Homebush Bay's Olympic Park Site.
[edit] Culture
Back to Belmore
In August 2005, the Back to Belmore campaign was launched in support of upgrading Belmore Sports Ground for a select number of the Bulldogs' NRL home games in the long-term future. The campaign's protest is mainly aimed at the Federal Government to grant funding to an upgrade of the Canterbury-Bankstown district's premier sporting facility and the Bulldogs to allocate a select number of their home games at an upgraded Belmore Sports Ground in the future.
The Bulldogs and Australian society
The Bulldogs are known to have some of the most devoted fans in Australian Rugby League. There are a small group of supporters which are known as the 'Bulldog Army'. Their fans behaviour has also been highlighted in recent years with fans causing trouble at Bulldogs matches. The Bulldogs club is trying to stop the fan violence by re-naming and moving the Bulldog army into a season ticket only bay 'The Kennel' as well as a campaign to encourage Bulldogs fans to dob in people causing trouble. They have dedicated fans and a huge fan base.
The Bulldogs players' off-field behaviour has also come under the spotlight, for both good and bad reasons. In early 2004, six Bulldogs players were accused of gang rape; although all the players were subsequently cleared of the charges, this incident had placed considerable strain on the club and its supporters alike. One of the leading detectives in the investigation, Detective Gary McEvoy, has come out publicly and stated that he believes there was no credible evidence to support the allegations but there were members of the New South Wales Police Force who acted inappropriately in the conduct of the investigation. The New South Wales Police Force Internal Affairs division is currently investigating the conduct of the Bulldogs gang rape allegation with particular focus on the unauthorised disclosure of police reports to radio shock jock Ray Hadley.
[edit] Statistics and Records
Current to Round 4, 2007
- For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs records.
All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Appearances
| All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Appearances | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Appearance | |||||||||
| Steve Mortimer |
272 | |||||||||
| Terry Lamb |
261 | |||||||||
 Hazem El Masri (*) |
249 | |||||||||
| Steve Folkes |
245 | |||||||||
| Chris Anderson |
230 | |||||||||
(*) player still active in the Canterbury Bulldogs team.
All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Tryscorers
| All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Tryscorers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tries | |||||||||
| Hazem El Masri (*) |
129 | |||||||||
| Terry Lamb |
123 | |||||||||
| Chris Anderson |
94 | |||||||||
| Steve Mortimer |
78 | |||||||||
| Peter Mortimer |
78 | |||||||||
(*) player still active in the Canterbury Bulldogs team.
All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Goalscorers
| All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Goalscorers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | |||||||||
| Hazem El Masri (*) |
676 | |||||||||
 Daryl Halligan |
630 | |||||||||
| Steve Gearin |
405 | |||||||||
| Terry Lamb |
375 | |||||||||
| Les Johns |
233 | |||||||||
(*) player still active in the Canterbury Bulldogs team.
All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Pointscorers
| All-time Top 5 Bulldogs Pointscorers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Points | |||||||||
| Hazem El Masri (*) |
1868 | |||||||||
| Daryl Halligan |
1490 | |||||||||
| Terry Lamb |
1279 | |||||||||
| Steve Gearin |
1006 | |||||||||
| Les Johns |
545 | |||||||||
(*) player still active in the Canterbury Bulldogs team.
[edit] Current Squad
| Bulldogs 2007 Fulltime Squad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Previous Club | ||||||
| Trent Cutler | |
Full Back | 175cm | 83kg | Milperra Colts | |||||
| Luke Patten | |
Full Back | 189cm | 86kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||||
| Hazem El Masri | |
Wing | 178cm | 87kg | Enfield Federals | |||||
| Matt Utai | |
Wing | 171cm | 98kg | Berala Bears | |||||
| Josefa Namila Davui |  |
Centre | 188cm | 95kg | North Sydney Bears | |||||
| Andrew Emelio | |
Centre | 186cm | 100kg | Widnes Vikings | |||||
| Daryl Millard | |
Centre | 184cm | 95kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||||
| Cameron Phelps | |
Centre | 178cm | 88kg | St Christophers | |||||
| Willie Tonga | |
Centre | 183cm | 95kg | Parramatta Eels | |||||
| Daniel Holdsworth | |
Five Eighth | 186cm | 95kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||||
| Ben Roberts | |
Five Eighth | 181cm | 89kg | Western Suburbs Magpies | |||||
| Billy Ngawini | |
Half Back | 169cm | 86kg | North Sydney Bears | |||||
| Brent Sherwin | |
Half Back | 175cm | 85kg | St Christophers | |||||
| Chris Armit | |
Prop | 186cm | 103kg | Parramatta Eels | |||||
| Jarrad Hickey | |
Prop | 195cm | 114kg | St Christophers | |||||
| Mark O'Meley | |
Prop | 180cm | 104kg | Northern Eagles | |||||
| Corey Hughes | |
Hooker | 175cm | 88kg | St Christophers | |||||
| Adam Perry | |
Hooker | 170cm | 100kg | Junee Diesels | |||||
| Kane Cleal | |
Second Row | 184kg | 103kg | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |||||
| Jon Green | |
Second Row | 190cm | 108kg | Cronulla Sharks | |||||
| Willie Mason | |
Second Row | 196cm | 114kg | Toronto Scorpions | |||||
| Brad Morrin | |
Second Row | 182cm | 97kg | Moorebank Rams | |||||
| Andrew Ryan | |
Second Row | 186cm | 105kg | Parramatta Eels | |||||
| Lee Te Maari | |
Second Row | 188cm | 100kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||||
| Aaron Wheatley | |
Second Row | 184cm | 100kg | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||||
| Nick Kouparitsas | |
Lock | 184cm | 95kg | Western Suburbs Magpies | |||||
| Sonny Bill Williams | |
Lock | 191cm | 106kg | Auckland Marist | |||||
| Reni Maitua | |
Lock | 180cm | 100kg | Coogee Wombats | |||||
| Dallas McIlwain | |
Lock | 178cm | 91kg | Inverell Hawks | |||||
[edit] Noted former players/coaches
- For more details on this topic, see Canterbury Bulldogs All Time Playerlist.
- For more details on this topic, see Canterbury Bulldogs Hall of Fame.
First Grade Captains (since 1955)
| First Grade Captains (since 1955) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Career | |||||||||
| Ray Gartner |
1955 | |||||||||
| Col Geelan |
1956-57 | |||||||||
| Ray Gartner |
1958-59 | |||||||||
| Brian Davies |
1959-61 | |||||||||
| Ray Beavan |
1962 | |||||||||
| Ray Gartner |
1962-64 | |||||||||
| Les Johns |
1964-65 | |||||||||
| George Taylforth |
1966 | |||||||||
| Kevin Ryan |
1967-69 | |||||||||
| Ron Raper |
1970-71 | |||||||||
| Johnny Greaves |
1971-72 | |||||||||
| Geoff Conell |
1973 | |||||||||
| John McDonell |
1974 | |||||||||
| Tim Pickup |
1975 | |||||||||
| Bob McCarthy |
1976-77 | |||||||||
| George Peponis |
1978-82 | |||||||||
| Chris Anderson |
1982-84 | |||||||||
| Steve Mortimer |
1984-88 | |||||||||
| Peter Tunks |
1988-89 | |||||||||
| Terry Lamb |
1990-95 | |||||||||
| Simon Gillies |
1996-98 | |||||||||
| Darren Britt |
1998-2001 | |||||||||
| Steve Price |
2002-04 | |||||||||
| Andrew Ryan |
2004-Present | |||||||||
First Grade Coaches
| First Grade Coaches | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Career | |||||||||
| Tedda Courtney |
1935 | |||||||||
| Frank Burge |
1936 | |||||||||
| George Mason |
1937 | |||||||||
| Jimmy Craig |
1938 | |||||||||
| Jerry Brien |
1939 & 1942 | |||||||||
| Alan Brady |
1940 | |||||||||
| Ron Bailey |
1941 & 1944 | |||||||||
| Roy Kirkaldy |
1943 | |||||||||
| Cec Fifield |
1944 | |||||||||
| Bill Kelly |
1945 | |||||||||
| Ross McKinnon |
1946-1947 | |||||||||
| Arthur Halloway |
1948 | |||||||||
| Henry Porter |
1949 | |||||||||
| Alby Why |
1950-1952 | |||||||||
| Vic Bulgin |
1952 | |||||||||
| Jack Hampstead |
1953-1954 | |||||||||
| Vic Hey |
1955-1956 | |||||||||
| Col Geelan |
1957 | |||||||||
| Cec Cooper |
1958-1959 | |||||||||
| Eddie Burns |
1960-1962 & 1965 | |||||||||
| Clive Churchill |
1963-1964 | |||||||||
| Roger Pearman |
1966 | |||||||||
| Kevin Ryan |
1967-1970 | |||||||||
| Bob Hagan |
1971-1972 | |||||||||
| Malcolm Clift |
1973-1977 | |||||||||
| Ted Glossop |
1978-1983 | |||||||||
| Warren Ryan |
1984-1987 | |||||||||
| Phil Gould |
1988-1989 | |||||||||
| Chris Anderson |
1990-1997 | |||||||||
| Steve Folkes |
1998-Present | |||||||||
[edit] Honours
- For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs Honours.
1ST Grade
| 1ST Grade | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiers (8) | 1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004 | |||||||||
| Runners-Up (8) | 1940, 1947, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1994, 1998 | |||||||||
| Minor Premiers (6) | 1938, 1942, 1947, 1984, 1993, 1994 | |||||||||
| Pre-Season Cup Winners (2) | 1962, 1970 | |||||||||
| Inter-City Champions (1) | 1939 | |||||||||
Club Championships
| Club Championships | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Championships (4) | 1938, 1939, 1993, 1994 | |||||||||
[edit] Famous Bulldogs Fans
| Famous Fans | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Cahill |
Australian Football (Soccer) Player | |||||||||
| John Fahey |
Former Premier of New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||
| Elka Graham |
Australian Olympic Swimmer | |||||||||
| Paul Keating |
Former Prime Minister of Australia | |||||||||
| Harry Kewell |
Australian Football (Soccer) Player | |||||||||
| Peter Lonard |
Australian Golfer | |||||||||
| Sophie Monk |
Australian Pop Singer | |||||||||
| Tony Roche |
Former Australian Tennis Player | |||||||||
| Steve & Mark Waugh |
Former Australian Cricketer’s | |||||||||
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Andrews M (2006). The ABC of Rugby League. ABC Publishing. ISBN 0-7333-1946-7
- Whiticker A & Hudson G (2005). Canterbury Bulldogs - The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Bas Publishing. ISBN 1-920910-50-6
- Whittaker A & Collis I (2004). The History of Rugby League Clubs. ISBN 9781741104707
- Lane D (1996). A Family Betrayal - One Man's Super League War - Jarred McCracken. Ironbark Publishing. ISBN 0-330-35839-1
- Chesterton R (1996). Good as Gould - Phil Gould's Stormy Life in Football. Ironbark Publishing. ISBN 0-330-35873-1
- Lester G (1991). The Bulldog Story. Playright Publishing. ISBN 0-646-04447-8
- Whiticker A (1992). The Terry Lamb Story. Gary Allen Publishing. ISBN 1-875169-14-8
- Tasker N (1988). Top-Dog - The Steve Mortimer Story. Century Hutchinson Publishing. ISBN 0-09-169231-8
- Lester G (1985). Berries to Bulldogs. Lester - Townsend Publishing. ISBN 0-949853-06-2
- NRL Official Information Handbook (2001-2007). Season Guide.
- Middleton D (1987-2006). The Official NSWRL, ARL, NRL Yearbook / Annual.
- Christensen EE (1946-1977). NSWRL Yearbook.
- Big League Magazine.
- Rugby League Week Magazine.
[edit] External links
- Official Bulldogs Website
- Official Bulldogs Team Store
- Bulldogs Statistics
- Back to Belmore - The Official Campaign Website
- The Kennel
- Bulldogs Debate Page
- Daily Telegraph - The Bulldogs 2007 season feature
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