2015 in review - Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Bulldogs went into Season 4 of the "Dessie Hasler Show" full of optimism - an unexpected Grand Final appearance in 2014 had plenty of blue-and-white fans excited about further success in 2015. But it wasn't to be.

Like the town drunk, somehow Canterbury had stumbled their way into the big dance last season, navigating a careful path to the decider in September, before crumbling under the might of the Rabbitohs' fairytale in the final 20 minutes of the 2014 Grand Final. Some astute book-keeping over the summer saw the 'Dogs pick up centre Josh Morris's twin brother, Brett - a premiership winner with the Dragons in 2010 - while a direct Michael swap with the Sharks saw the blue and whites trade out Ennis to receive Lichaa from the black-white-and-blues.

All told, the Bulldogs did alright. Finishing fifth and picking up their fourth straight finals berth is a solid result for a team that spent the best part of the last decade in and out of contention, but nowhere near good enough for a Hasler-coached outfit. It all started well for the 'Dogs, overcoming a first-up loss to Penrith to down three eventual bottom-eight sides over the first month of proceedings. But then... well... there was a turning point.

The Turning Point
Now forever known as "Bad Friday", there's no doubt that the events of the Easter weekend had the biggest impact of any on the Bulldogs' season. The usual tense, spiteful clash between the 2014 Grand Finalists was predicted and it delivered - even more than any 'Dogs fan wanted it to. After leading early, the 2014 runners-up let the Rabbitohs back into the contest, and only looked to have escaped with victory within the final minutes when Trent Hodkinson snapped a one-pointer to put the hosts ahead. Hell on Earth seemed to unfold in the moments that followed however, with a controversial penalty awarded to the Bunnies after James Graham's ill-fated chargedown attempt on Adam Reynolds. The dangerous contact and subsequent run-in with referee Gerard Sutton saw the 'Dogs captain spend several weeks on the sidelines for his trouble, while David Klemmer and Sam Kasiano also picked up charges from the match review committee. South Sydney went on to win the game 18-17, and the Bulldogs only picked up one win from their following five games to languish in the bottom half of the table come mid-season.

The Second Turning Point
It's not the norm to label a loss a turning point but as the Belmore boys muddled their way through the Origin period it seemed they had lost their shine - until they came up against minor premiers the Sydney Roosters in Round 21. Falling behind 22-0 early on, the 'Dogs fought back and by the midway point of the second half they had stolen the lead. The performance showed they were capable of matching it with the big guns - a point they proved a week later by downing ladder-leaders Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. From there Canterbury went on to win all of their remaining games until they came up against the Roosters in the finals - and were well overpowered to be bundled out.

The Good
Two unforgettable evenings of football certainly put the smiles on Bulldog faces when the Doggies went "Back to Belmore" in Rounds 16 and 20. A Monday night showdown with Melbourne where the hosts triumped 20-4 saw a special moment with the team singing their celebration song in front of the faithful on the Family Hill. A capacity crowd then packed the venue again for Sunday afternoon footy against the Sharks four weeks later - and despite the 18-16 loss went home in high spirits.

The Bad
There's little doubt discipline played a big role in the unravelling of Canterbury's 2015 fortunes.

Best Players
Save for missed weeks through injury early in the season, the purchase of Brett Morris was a masterstroke. It's hard to ignore the presence of Curtis Rona either, who made the #2 jersey his own on the wing after the Bulldogs went through several seasons with weak outside backs. Big Rona bagged 23 tries to finish second on the NRL Tryscoring list, behind only Parramatta's rampaging Semi Radradra.

Up front, Aiden Tolman and James Graham were undeniably the Dogs' best, while second rower Frank Pritchard's farewell season in the blue & white was second to none.

Disappointing Players
Much was made of Michael Lichaa's transfer to Canterbury after the club opted to shuffle along their previous captain Michael Ennis. Lichaa started strongly and provided some much-needed energy early in the season but fell away badly after that, eventually succumbing to a nasty ankle injury which saw NSW Cup hooker Damien Cook successfully take the reins at dummy half for the remainder of the season. With Cook off to South Sydney, Lichaa gets a shot at redemption in 2016, and 'Dogs fans will be hoping he can keep himself on the park and ahead of the competition.

Rookies
The Bulldogs only blooded a couple of younger players in 2015, with Shaun Lane being the standout. The lanky back row utility launched himself at the line on several occasions, running wonderful lines and backing up with solid support runs to bag five tries in his debut season. Danny Fualalo also found himself with game time in 2015, although limited, and performed admirably when called upon.

2016 Chances
Much will depend on if there is any more action in the player transfer space over the off-season. At the time of writing, rumours continue to persist that the Belmore club will gain the signature of former Manly, Parramatta and NSW back Will Hopoate - which would provide a much needed boost to their backline stocks. There are also As it stands the squad shows minimal improvement from 2015 and as such they could fall further if there aren't some astute signings made in the coming months. Predicted finish: 6th-8th

Best line-up for 2016

1. Brett Morris
2. Curtis Rona
3. Josh Morris
4. Tim Lafai
5. Sam Perrett
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Moses Mbye
8. Aiden Tolman
9. Michael Lichaa
10. James Graham (c)
11. Josh Jackson
12. Tony Williams
13. Greg Eastwood

14. Shaun Lane
15. Sam Kasiano
16. Tim Browne
17. David Klemmer

Remaining squad: Lloyd Perrett, Pat O'Hanlon, Chase Stanley, Adam Elliott, Jarrod McInally, Danny Fualalo, Tyrone Phillips

Ins: Brad Abbey (Warriors), Kerrod Holland (Newcastle Knights)

Outs: Trent Hodkinson (Knights), Frank Pritchard (ESL - Hull FC), Corey Thompson (ESL - Widnes), Damien Cook (Rabbitohs)