Young Pups Unleashed for NRL Trial

As the NRL's Pre-Season Challenge returns for 2024, Bulldogs Head Coach Cameron Ciraldo has unleashed a new breed of Bulldogs, with eight rising stars from last year's Jersey Flegg Cup Premiership-winning team ready to step up to the challenge.

Leading the charge is Eli Clark, a shining example of the Bulldogs' commitment to nurturing talent from within our regional Academies. Signed four years ago through the North Coast Region, the regional junior representative player turn top-grade contender is a testament to the strength of the Club's expanded development pathways.

Named among the extended squad, Jack Todd and Luke Smith, are also regional juniors and products of the Bulldogs Academy, having been signed through the Club's Greater Northern Regional partnership.

Also announced among the reserves are local juniors Joseph O'Neill, Joash Papalii, Lipoi Hopoi, and Will Afualo.

O'Neill, a Revesby Rhinos and Berala Bears junior, progressed his way through the Bulldogs pathways programs and captained the 2023 Jersey Flegg squad to the raising of the Cup for the first time in 20 years last year.

Like the emerging halfback, Papalii (St Johns Eagles), Hopoi (St George Dragons) and Afualo (St Johns Eagles) have all remained one Club athletes, beginning their football careers in the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs District Junior Rugby League before progressing through the Harold Matthews Cup, SG Ball Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup squads to join their first term of NRL pre-season training this year.

Harry Hayes, originally from the central coast, was also a key member of the Flegg Cup win and is a particularly incredible inclusion in the trial's extended squad. 

Having originally trialled and been knocked back for the Club's SG Ball squad in 2019, Pathways staff saw something in him. They persisted with a development program for him despite not naming him to the squad and he played his first year of SG Ball for the Bulldogs in 2020.

A relocation for work by his parents saw a small stint away from the Club during his junior representative years, but as committed as ever, Hayes returned to the Bulldogs program as soon as they returned to Sydney. He has remained in the Bulldogs system ever since.

Ciraldo openly praised the Jersey Flegg playing group last year, referring to them during a mid-week press conference as the future of the Bulldogs: 

“The way those guys [Flegg] are going about their business is showing they are the future of the Bulldogs and that's who we are going to build the Club around.”

Beyond the test for the young pups, local juniors Khaled Rajab and Bailey Hayward (St George Dragons and Greenacre Tigers respectively) were each named in the reserves. They would have been eligible to play in the Jersey Flegg Cup Grand Final last year given their age, however were ruled out from participating due to qualification rulings and how much time they spent elevated during the 2023 season.

Rajab made his NRL debut on the 4th of June 2023 against the Sydney Roosters in Gosford (Round 14).

Named to play on Thursday evening, Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton were each involved in the Club's junior representative programs but pursued other opportunities in the League before returning to the Blue and White in 2023.

Bronson Xerri, who returns to the NRL this year after serving a suspension, will pull on the Canterbury jersey for the first time since his junior years - the fast-paced centre originally a Moorebank Rams junior who played his formative years alongside fellow local junior, Kurtis Morrin. Morrin, however, has been rested for this week's trial.

Before the young pups are put to the test with the main trial starting at 7:00PM, the Bulldogs' NSW Cup squad will face off against the Bears in their own trial starting at 4:30PM.

While tickets will be available at the gate, we recommend pre-booking to skip the queues and save whilst securing your seat to witness the future stars of the Bulldogs in action: BOOK TICKETS NOW.

Gates open at 4:00PM.