With the Bulldogs facing a straight-sets elimination when they tackle the formidable Panthers on Sunday afternoon, the question being asked is: where did it all go wrong for the club which spent a large part of the season at the top of the NRL ladder? Most are pointing to the acquisition of Lachlan Galvin and his almost-immediate disruption of a successful spine, but the answer is a little more complicated than that.
There are two rugby league truisms that have stood the test of time: "The big games are won by the forwards" and "the halves cannot shine behind a beaten pack".
Max King is the Bulldogs' premier big man, he weighs in at 113kg wringing wet. He made his State of Origin debut this year and is a more than honest toiler who would be welcome in most squads, but he is not really a premier big man. He's no Payne Haas (no one is), not a Joseph Tapine, an Addin Fonua-Blake, not quite a James Fisher-Harris or a Moses Leota, not a Stefano Utoikamanu nor a Josh King, and the list goes on. The problem isn't just that he doesn't quite measure up to the most destructive runners in the league, it's that he is the best the Bulldogs have.
The Bulldogs have unsuccessfully tried various partners for him including Sam Hughes and Daniel Suluka-Fifita, but seldom in a three-pronged big man rotation. Instead they have a platoon of light-weight work horse forwards including Josh Curran, Harry Hayes, Sitili Tupouniua, Jack Todd and Kurtis Morrin. All solid performers, but none of them premier big men either. Tupouniua has proven himself capable of bending and breaking a defensive line, but his contributions have been limited by injuries through the season. They have Leo Thompson on his way to bolster the forwards in 2026, but it still might not be enough.
To compound the problem, coach Cameron Ciraldo has stuck stubbornly to selecting Jaeman Salmon in a ball distributing lock role, when he clearly is not suited. It makes the Bulldogs extremely pedestrian for at least the first 20 minutes, especially lately when combined with Bailey Hayward's less than rapid service from dummy-half.
The ball is picked up by Hayward, looped across to Salmon who shuffles a couple of steps before turning a forward back inside. There is no chance for the light weight Bulldogs' middle forwards to gain any momentum as they are being met and buried at the advantage line every time. They are not even running in numbers, it's like Salmon is dishing out a constant buffet of hospital passes, on the back of which the halves are meant to shine.
Galvin and Toby Sexton before him have been tasked with finding enough space to operate and feed the more destructive players on the edges. Was Sexton better at it than Galvin? Perhaps, he does have more experience on his side and much more familiarity with Ciraldo's systems, but against the better teams he still struggled.
The Galvin purchase was clearly a move made to secure the Bulldogs' creative future. It was said at the time that Sexton should have remained in the top job until his form warranted he be dropped. Galvin could have spent the rest of the season playing alongside future halfback Mitchell Woods in the reserves. If injury or form necessitated, he could have stepped up, with less expectation on his shoulders. But, he would still have been playing behind the same undersized pack.
Since Galvin's club debut, fans have been screaming for the reinstatement of Sexton and with Stephen Crichton's injury against the Storm, their wish has been forced upon Ciraldo. Mahoney is also given another shot against the Panthers, albeit from the bench again. If the Bulldogs lose on Sunday afternoon, the unfair criticism will no doubt still flow in Galvin's direction, with Ciraldo also copping it for sticking firm to his plans and structures, whilst the ship was obviously sinking.
There is another old truism which came out of American football: "If you start listening to the fans, soon you're going to be sitting with them." It emphasises that the coaches are paid to do what they do because they know better than the average fan. If they waver in their belief in themselves and what they have planned, then they won't keep that job for long. Ciraldo has recently signed a contract extension, along with Phil Gould, as they continue to rebuild the Bulldogs.
A straight-sets exit from a third-place finish might look like failure to some, but in the context of recent years at the Bulldogs it shows a steady, bankable improvement in the club. Fans will still be frustrated by what looks to have been a wasted opportunity. It has been a long time between drinks at the Bulldogs, and everyone is thirsty.