Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould has piled on the praise of recent signing Stephen Crichton but added that he may not be the long-term solution at fullback, with more raids planned to fill the roster for 2024.
Crichton will leave the Panthers for the Bulldogs on a four-year deal starting next season.
This signing, coupled with Matt Burton’s recent re-commitment to the club on a five-year deal, was a massive coup as the club rebuilds, having spent half a decade anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
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Gould said Crichton had been bought to play in any number of positions, with an eye to a long-term fullback role.
“That will depend on how he feels when he gets here,” Gould told Wide World of Sports at Nine’s NRL launch in Brisbane.
“We kind of know what we need and where we’re heading, and we’re just hopeful that a few of our younger blokes bubble up and stake a claim for those positions.”
Gould said Crichton didn’t give a preference for where he wanted to play during their discussions.
“It was one of the questions Cameron (Ciraldo) asked him – what position you want to play? He said I will play where the coach picks me,” Gould said.
“That’s one of the great things about Stephen Crichton – he’s a team player, and he’s a club man.
“But we know he can play both sides of the field. He can play centre, wing and fullback.
“We need a fullback, so we’ll see what happens long term.”
Gould said the club had a number of players off contract at the end of the year, and hoped heavy investment in their junior program in 2023 meant one of them would put their hand up to fill a role.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t still circling for another marquee signing.
“We’ve got seven spots to fill for next year, we’ve recruited pretty heavily in the age group of 18-21 and in our junior program, and hopefully a few of those bubble up over the next six months to tell us they want to be top-30 players next year,” Gould said.
“We’ve got plenty of money available for next season if a suitable marquee player comes up, but we’re not locking ourselves into any concept at the moment.
“We just want to see how the club operates over the next two or three months, have a look at what we really need, and then have a look at what bubbles up.”
The rejuvenated Bulldogs get their 2023 campaign underway against the Sea Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
Gould said he believed the Bulldogs had a tough early draw, but were coming off a pre-season “as productive as I’ve ever seen”.
“We got tested through the trials, and I think we got exactly out of the trials that we needed,” he said.
“We’re not in bad shape leading into the first game of the season. We’ve got a very tough draw from the first 10 weeks, but the draw’s a draw, we’ve just got to get on with it and play.
“If I compare where we are now to where we were 12 months ago, we are miles in front … as a club (and) as a unit.
“I’m expecting them to play hard during the course of the season, but there are 16 other clubs out there trying to do what we’re doing – there’s plenty of competition.”
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