Squad breakdown: Bulldogs 2025 NRL Supercoach analysis

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs enter the 2025 season full of promise after breaking their long-standing finals drought last season.



They narrowly missed a top four berth, then were knocked out in week one of the finals.



They boast a settled roster with a few highly touted young pups pushing for debuts this season.



As we’ve seen in the past though, they’ll be approach in a completely different light by rivals after showing significant improvement in 2024.



They have a fairly simple draw early on with their three early away games all in Sydney.



Let’s take a look at their Supercoach prospects to begin the NRL season.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs</h2>



<ol>
<li>Connor Tracey</li>



<li>Marcelo Montoya</li>



<li>Stephen Crichton</li>



<li>Bronson Xerri</li>



<li>Blake Wilson</li>



<li>Matt Burton</li>



<li>Toby Sexton</li>



<li>Max King</li>



<li>Reed Mahoney</li>



<li>Sam Hughes</li>



<li>Viliame Kikau</li>



<li>Jacob Preston</li>



<li>Kurt Mann</li>



<li>Bailey Hayward</li>



<li>Sitili Tupouniua</li>



<li>Josh Curran*</li>



<li>Jaeman Salmon</li>
</ol>



Unavailable:&nbsp;Jacob Kiraz (Back, early season), Josh Curran (suspension, round 2)



Analysis:&nbsp;Marcelo Montoya and Blake Wilson are fighting for the vacant wing spot of the departed Josh Addo-Carr long-term.



However, Phil Gould dropped a surprise by stating that Jacob Kiraz won’t feature for the Bulldogs at the start of the season.



Jaeman Salmon and Tom Amone will compete for the final bench spot, although both may play round 1 with Josh Curran suspended.



The major watch will be the role of Sitili Tupouniua and where he’s injected.



I suspect he’ll enter the middle rotation, however he could give either of Jacob Preston or Viliame Kikau a spell and play on the edge which he’s done for the majority of his career.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DRAW</h2>



Dragons (A), Titans (H), Eels (A), Sharks (A), Knights (H), bye, Rabbitohs (H), Broncos (A)



First five rounds rating: 8/10



PREDICTED TEAMS:&nbsp;<a href="https://scplaybook.com.au/blog/2025/01/19/nrl-predicted-teams-round-1-2025-every-clubs-starting-squad" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Every club’s round 1 starting 17</a>



POSITIONAL WACHLIST: <a href="https://scplaybook.com.au/blog/2025/01/21/positional-watchlist-five-eighth-targets-for-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">Five-eighth targets for 2025</a>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GUNS</h2>



Jacob Kiraz – CTW &#8211; $702,800



Kiraz is in my eyes far and above their best Supercoach prospect to begin the season, as reflected by his hefty starting price.



He averaged 72 points with an outstanding 38 in base and 16 in power stats (tacklebreaks and offloads).



Combining his workrate and power, he’s scoring 54 points before any major attacking stats are added.



Note he averaged 77.9 Supercoach points on the wing last season.



Starting on the wing significantly boosts his round 1 Supercoach credentials. 



Buy rating: 8/10



Matt Burton – 5/8 &#8211; $648,700



Burto wouldn’t generally engage too much of my interest, but the five-eighth position is appearing pretty bleak to begin the season.



He’s lost his dual HFB-5/8 positioning which is less than ideal.



Burton averaged 66 points last season, equalling his career best.



He scored 50+ points in 18 of his 24 games which is extremely consistent.



How the Bulldogs fare will play a big role in his output.



If they continue to build on their momentum of last season he could easily improve on that 66 average, but if there’s any regression from the Belmore boys I can see there being some lower scores early on.



He opened up in 2024 with a 15 point score in round 1 against the Eels, then a 35 in round 3 against the Titans.



I’ll likely look for value elsewhere to start, with an eye to potentially bringing him in if the Dogs can start fast.



Buy rating: 5/10



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Jacob Preston – 2RF &#8211; $609,200



The key to Jacob Preston’s Supercoach prospects is his minutes.



If he locks down an 80 minute role I believe he’s starting undervalued.



If Sitili Tupouniua threatens any of his minutes there will be an issue.



I believe he’s locked into an 80 minute role, but the Roosters recruit has on all reports impressed since joining the Kennel.



He averaged 62 points in 67 minutes last season as a result of a few injuries at different stages.



In six 80 minute games he averaged 75 points.



He also scored 100 points against Manly in round 26 in just 62 minutes.



In his debut season in 2023 he averaged 65.64 in 14 games of 80 minutes.



There’s probably better value, but if he’s locked into max game time there’s genuine upside to the edge back-rower.



Buy rating: 6/10



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">MID-RANGERS</h2>



Josh Curran – 2RF-FRF &#8211; $546,900



Curran proved one of the most reliable players in the game last year with availability as a dual FRF-2RF which he retains this season.



He averaged 56 points in 52 minutes with 50 in base.



He’d often start from the bench last season and come on and play 50-60 minutes straight, but game time did fluctuate which makes him somewhat of a risk this season.



Injuries also hit the Dogs at different stages which aided his minutes, but a fully fit roster to begin 2025 with the addition of Tupouniua is a concern.



I think he’d have to be locked into a starting role for me to consider to begin the season.



Buy rating: 4/10



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHEAPIES</h2>



Bailey Hayward – 2RF &#8211; $300,900



Hayward probably isn’t an option for round 1, but I do think he’ll be relevant at some stage this year.



He’s highly touted at Belmore and may only be one or two injuries away from a starting spot and big minutes.



Barring an unlikely starting role, avoid for now but don’t be surprised if he becomes a familiar name in teams at some stage.



Buy rating: 3/10



Tom Amone – FRF &#8211; $232,600



Amone is currently in 27% of teams but may not play in round 1.



The 29-year-old returns from an English stint with the Leigh Leopards.



In a small sample size back in 2021 at the Tigers he averaged just 18 points in 21 minutes at a poor rate of 0.83 points per minute.



Even if given a bench role which may happen, it’s hard to see him getting enough minutes to warrant selecting even at the price.



The round 1 team list will be a key watch on what the bench looks like most importantly, but I don’t think it’ll change my mind too much unless we’re extremely void of cheapie FRF options.



It smells like a bit of a Franklin Pele – Poasa Faamausili vibe to me…



Buy rating: 3/10

Squad breakdown: Bulldogs 2025 NRL Supercoach analysis

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