Bulldogs recruits respond to unfair label: “The media has viewed us as utilities.” They give an explanation of “certain roles.”
After a solid preseason, Bulldogs recruit Blake Taaffe has stated that he hopes to start at fullback for the team the following season and is optimistic about their chances of making the finals for the first time since 2016.
After signing a four-year contract in January, Panthers star Stephen Crichton seemed certain to be Canterbury’s fullback the following season. However, it now appears more likely that he will play in the centers, with Taaffe leading the competition for the No. 1 shirt.
The struggle for slots is bringing out the best in the new-look squad, according to the former South Sydney utility, and it will ultimately come down to who impresses coach Cameron Ciraldo the most over the next three months.
He responded, “Obviously that’s the position where I’m most known to play,” when questioned about the contest for fullback.
“All I want is to come here, train hard, and gain the boys’ respect.” Regardless of the function assigned to me, I will give it everything I have.
“The competition helps you stay motivated because it pushes you.” Since it prevents you from being comfortable in some areas, competition is never a negative thing.
“I feel like I’m improving every day here, and the players and coaches are giving me a lot of excellent feedback.”
The 24-year-old made his debut in 2021, stepping in for an injured Latrell Mitchell at the back to help the Bunnies go to the grand final, where they were defeated by Penrith in a thrilling match.
Some speculated that Taaffe was just a half playing out of position and wondered if he was too short to play fullback, but Taaffe has laughed those theories away.
Having played 20 of his 31 NRL games at the back, he remarked, “It was a bit weird when everyone was saying that I wasn’t a fullback. But I came out in the media back then and told everyone that I’ve pretty much been playing fullback my whole life.”
“It was just on the biggest stage at the biggest time of year, so it wasn’t really new to me.”
“Wayne (former Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett) deserves a lot of respect for his handling of the situation and his faith in me. Even though we lost, it has inspired me to return at the same time in the upcoming years.
In addition to fullback, former Panther Jaeman Salmon is vying for a spot in the back row, though he acknowledges it will be difficult to unseat Jacob Preston and Viliame Kikau.
The back row is undoubtedly my objective. I’ll be doing all in my power to secure a position in the 17 because I know we have some excellent back-rowers in Kiks and Presto,” he declared.
“I like to think of myself as adaptable, so I could fill in the centers or the halves if something happened.”
As a member of the rehabilitation group, Salmon has been exposed to a great deal of discussion over Canterbury’s hiring of a number of utility players, including Kurt Mann, Connor Tracey, Drew Hutchison, and Jake Turpin, in recent weeks.
“The club has brought us all in for specific roles, but the media has seen us as utilities,” he remarked.
“Manny” is a lock; Connor Tracey can slot in at center or fullback, but he also has other options.
“I believe having a group of versatile players is beneficial. It implies that since we’re all football players, we can perform any task that is required of us. There can never be too many football players on a team, which is why the club had depth issues the previous season.
Though the prospects, who have all come from winning cultures, are convinced that the Bulldogs can accomplish something exceptional next year, the confidence in Belmore is nothing new at this time of year.
In response to the question of whether they could play finals football in 2024, Taaffe said, “Yeah, 100%.”
“This is excellent work that Ciro and the coaching team are undertaking.
“We’re all getting ripped in, and everyone is buying into it.
It is evident that the outcomes are improving every week. We all know what we need to improve on, but nobody in this room has given up or refused to accept it.
