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Bulldogs

Names
Full name	Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)	Canterbury, The Doggies
Entry Details
Founded	1935 as Canterbury-Bankstown
Current Details
Ground(s)	Telstra Stadium Homebush, Sydney (83,500)
CEO(s)	Malcolm Noad
Coach(s)	Steve Folkes
Captain(s)	Andrew Ryan
Competition	National Rugby League
2007	National Rugby League, 6th
Records
Premierships	8 (1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1885, 1988, 1995, 2004)
Minor premiership	6 (1938, 1942, 1947, 1984, 1993, 1994)
Most Capped	272 - Steve Mortimer
Most Points	2,040 - Hazem El Masri

The Bulldogs (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown RLFC, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional rugby league football club who compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions. Based in Belmore, a suburb of Sydney, the Bulldogs were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, predecessor of the current NRL competition, in 1935.

Contents 1 History 2 Crest 3 Colours 4 Stadium 5 Supporters 6 Rivalries 7 Statistics and records 8 Current Squad 9 Honours 10 Footnotes 11 References 12 External links

For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs History.

In 1935, thirteen years after a meeting above "The Ideal Milk Bar" in Campsie created the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League, the Canterbury-Bankstown club was admitted into the elite New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. 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 three years to win their first premiership in 1938. The grand final-winning effort was repeated again in 1942 before a 25-year drought set in.

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 20th century.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.

In the 1990s' Super League war, the Bulldogs aligned themselves with the rebel competition, playing the 1997 Super League premiership. In 1998 the Bulldogs came 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, some people say the Bulldogs pulled off one of the most remarkable victories in the history of the game. After trailing by 16 points with ten minutes remaining, the Bulldogs 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.

Season 2004 was a tribute to both Steve Folkes' ability as a coach and the determination of a squad that refused to buckle.

Despite the club's well-documented off-field dramas, the Bulldogs 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 club's 70th anniversary season. Their eighth premiership trophy moved the club into a clear fifth 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.^{[citation needed]} This took its toll in the final six weeks of the season, with 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^{[neutrality disputed]} 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. 2007 saw an indifferent and inconsistent season, the team never really clicking into top gear, eventually eliminated from the finals, finishing sixth after losing to Parramatta in the second week of the Finals Series. The club will lose Mark O'Meley in the off-season whilst looking forward to welcoming some new younger players into the ranks.

The initial crest 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 can be seen at the top of this page. The earlier style of the currently logo is characterised by 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. Club president in 1999 Bob Hagan, claimed that dropping the geographical name of Canterbury would allow the team to gain broader support from outside the Canterbury-Bankstown area in the same way that Manchester United and Chicago Bulls are supported worldwide, the irony however is that the clubs that he had envisaged the Bulldogs emulating are both known by their geographical locations; Chicago and Manchester. Despite this, many supporters, TV and radio commentators continue to refer to them as 'Canterbury'.

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:

• The 'V Strip', which has been used recently in occasional 'heritage' matches, had navy and white irregular stripes ("butcher stripes") worn with black shorts. This was used from 1935 until at least 1962.

• From 1970 to 1972, the club adopted a jersey featuring blue and white hoops. This reverted to the 'V Strip' from 1973 onwards.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007)

In their inaugural season, very few home matches were allocated to the Canterbury-Bankstown club. However, when the opportunity arose the club took their matches to either Marrickville or Pratten Park. This was from the following season on when the club began to base itself at Belmore Sports Ground. The club had a long-time affinity with the ground and stayed there continuously until 1994.

In 1995 when the Super League War began to come about, the club changed its playing name to the "Sydney Bulldogs" in an attempt to broaden its fan base and played matches at Parramatta Stadium where spectator facilities were of a higher class. This move paid off with the club going on to become premiers that season. However, the club reverted its name for the 1996 season and once again played matches out of Belmore Sports Ground; something that lasted up until the inaugural National Rugby League season of 1998.

Once the new Stadium Australia had been finished and opened in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the club began to play matches there between 1999 and 2000. From 2001 to 2005, the club then began to play matches out of the new Sydney Showground at Homebush, with bigger matches played out of the now-Telstra Stadium from 2003. When fans began to complain about the poor quality of the venue as a rugby league ground, the club eventually decided to move all future home matches to Telstra Stadium, which has remained the case to date. From January 1, 2008, Telstra Stadium will become known as ANZ Stadium.

The club's training and administration offices remain at Belmore Sports Ground.

The Bulldogs predominantly draw on a support base in and around the suburbs of Canterbury and Bankstown in South-Western Sydney and regularly attract home match attendances that are above the average level for National Rugby League clubs, with attendances at Telstra Stadium averaging more than 18,000 for the 2006 season.

The multicultural demographics of the suburbs in the club's support base, such as Lakemba, means the club has a large number of supporters from a range of non-English speaking backgrounds. In recent years the club has become particularly identified in the media with the Lebanese-Australian community, particularly with the club's star goalkicker, Hazem El Masri, being of a Lebanese background.^[2]

In recent years, the club has been in trouble following a number of supporter-related incidents at both home and away Bulldogs matches, including bottle-throwing, fighting and damage to stadium seating. In 2005, a firecracker let off at a match caused players from both the Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos to be temporarily distracted from the game.^{[citation needed]} Incidents like these led to Chas Licciardello to do a skit for the ABC TV show The Chaser's War on Everything by offering to sell "Bulldog-branded" merchandise such as balaclavas and knuckle dusters, for which there was some public outcry.

The Bulldogs and their fans have built up rivalries with other clubs, particularly the Parramatta Eels, which began in the 1980s when the two sides were the strongest in the competition. Canterbury and Parramatta each won four premierships during this decade, and faced one another in two Grand Finals (1984 and 1986) as well as regular play-off matches. This rivalry received renewed impetus during the Super League war when Parramatta recruited four notable Bulldogs players in Jim Dymock, Jason Smith, Jarrod McCracken and Dean Pay.

For more details on this topic, see List of Bulldogs records.

Steve Mortimer holds the record for the most games played for the club, having made 272 appearances in total. Current player Hazem El Masri is currently second on 270.

Hazem El Masri also holds records for the most points scored, the most tries scored and the most points scored for the Bulldogs. Since his debut in 1996, he has scored a total of 138 tries and 744 goals for a combined total of 2,040 points. Former player Daryl Halligan, who retired with the club in 2000, had previously held the competition record for most points scored with 2,034, which included points scored whilst at his former club the North Sydney Bears.

The club's largest win occurred in 1995 when they played as the "Sydney Bulldogs." In a match against the newly-formed North Queensland Cowboys, the Bulldogs won 66–4. In the club's first season in 1935 they were subject to the two heaviest defeats in competition history two weeks in succession. Firstly, they lost to St. George 91–6 and the following week to Eastern Suburbs 87–7. However, despite these big losses, the club was able to secure their first premiership 3 years later in 1938 in the Grand Final against Eastern Suburbs; at the same time setting the record for becoming the quickest non-foundation club to win a title. This record was not broken until 1999.

In 2002, the club won 17 matches in a row; falling just two short of the record set by the Eastern Suburbs team of 1975.

For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs 2007.

For more details on this topic, see List of Bulldogs players.

For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs Hall of Fame.

No. Position Player 605 WG Hazem El Masri 626 HK Corey Hughes 641 FB Luke Patten 648 WG Matt Utai 654 SR Andrew Ryan (Captain) 658 CE Willie Tonga 658 HB Michael Sullivan 659 LK Sonny Bill Williams 661 LK Reni Maitua 664 PR Chris Armit 668 SR Brad Morrin 671 WG Cameron Phelps 677 FE Daniel Holdsworth 678 CE Andrew Emelio 680 FE Ben Roberts

No. Position Player 682 PR Jarrad Hickey 683 LK Nick Kouparitsas 684 CE Daryl Millard 685 SR Kane Cleal 686 SR Lee Te Maari 687 CE Tim Winitana 688 WG Heka Nanai

For more details on this topic, see Bulldogs Honours.

• New South Wales Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League^[3]: 8
  

1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004

• New South Wales Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League runners-up: 8
  

1940, 1947, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1994, 1998

• New South Wales Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League minor premierships: 6
  

1938, 1942, 1947, 1984, 1993, 1994

• New South Wales Rugby League Club Championships: 4
  

1938, 1939, 1993, 1994

• Pre-Season Cup titles: 2
  

1962, 1970

• Inter-City titles: 1
  

1939

Junior Representative Honours:

Jersey Flegg Premiers : 1963, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003.

SG Ball Premiers : 1972, 1978.

Harold Matthews Premiers : 2007.

• Woods B (2007). El Magic - The Life of Hazem El Masri. Harper Collins Publishing. ISBN 0-7322-8402-3
• 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 - Jarrod 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. Playwright 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.
• Rugby League Review (2003-2007).
• Big League (1974-2007).
• Rugby League Week (1970-2007).
• The Rugby League News.

• Official Bulldogs Website
• Official Bulldogs Team Store
• Bulldogs Statistics
• Back to Belmore - The Official Campaign Website
• The Kennel
• Bulldogs Debate Page

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