2004. The last time the Bulldogs won the comp.
It’s been a trying 21 years for the club’s passionate fan base since.
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During that span, ten other teams have lifted the Provan-Summons Trophy. Two new clubs have entered the NRL. Dynasties have risen and fallen. And countless stars of the game have hung up the boots.
Flashback to 2004 – in a squad built on grit, toughness and pure belief, the Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters by three points (16-13) in the final match of the season.
Now, nearly two decades later, there are eerie similarities.
“If you’re not winning the comp at the end of the year, it’s a little bit of a failure in a way, but you’ve got to take learning out of it,” the club’s No.9 Bailey Hayward said.
“We’re a pretty process-driven team so we’ve looked back at our game and seen where we can get better.
“Obviously, it wasn’t the way we wanted to go out but it definitely makes us hungry to get back there on that stage again and go a couple games further.”
The Bulldogs have endured setbacks on and off the field.Source: Getty Images
Like the 2004 side, they’ve endured setbacks on and off the field.
Leading the competition at one stage last year, they went out in straight-sets – a brutal reminder of how different the regular season is to finals football.
Time feels shorter. Kicks hang longer. The collisions intensify. The speed lifts. Moments matter more and every tackle counts.
“It’s all lessons. Everything happens for a reason,” skipper Stephen Crichton said.
And for the Bulldogs, the final straw couldn’t have been more sobering – a 20-point loss to the Penrith Panthers.
They were “blown off the park” by their opposition who controlled the tempo, ran the ruck and exposed the difference that separates finals teams from premiership threats.
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“There was a period where we watched the game against Penrith back. Took a lot of lessons from that and hopefully rectify that this year,” back-rower Jacob Preston said.
“All the boys were disappointed about how we ended last year. Going out in straight-sets in semi-finals is not what anyone wants to do.
“It was very uncomfortable. That day we got blown off the park and it’s not something we pride ourselves on and we took a lot from that.
“I think we started last year red-hot and then kind of fell off towards the end and we’ve learnt a lot from that. We’ve had a big pre-season and kind of learnt lessons from that and worked on it in the pre-season.”
Last season is in the rear-view mirror of the Bulldogs.Source: The Daily Telegraph
With last year in the rear-view mirror, the disappointing end to their season has raised standards internally and among the playing group.
Training sessions have intensified, players are being pushed to their limits, rookies are holding senior players accountable and the squad is embracing internal competition as they aim for the gold standard.
“If you want to take the next step, you need to learn from the past,” Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said.
“We’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from the last two years in particular that are going to hold us in really good stead.
“I feel like our training has gone up another level this pre-season, and I’m really excited at what we can achieve this season.”
Ciraldo’s message is clear and simple. You need to look back to the past to embrace the future and to improve.
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Making consecutive finals series, the Bulldogs are no longer in the rebuilding stage and have finetuned their roster with the recruitment of Leo Thompson to beef up their forward stocks as well as Kade Dykes and Sean O’Sullivan to further their depth.
At the same time, it has come with some tough calls.
Former spine members Reed Mahoney (North Queensland Cowboys) and Toby Sexton (Super League) headline a list of ten players who have gone the other way as the club continues to reshape their combinations on the field.
This opens the door for Bailey Hayward to step in as their permanent dummy-half and grant him the responsibility of controlling the ruck.
And in the halves, Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin will be given more time to build greater chemistry with each other as well as understand one another’s game more.
Meanwhile, rookie standout Mitchell Woods continues to develop his craft under them and slowly push for a spot in the starting line-up.
“It’s been really good, I didn’t know all three [Burton, Galvin and Woods] of those boys before I came and we’ve built a really good connection and we all have our own special little bonds with each other,” O’Sullivan said.
“The boys keep telling Lachie he needs to get off my hip now, he won’t leave me alone but I’ve really enjoyed building a good connection with all of them.
“They’re all great players and great humans too which is really good. We’re all fighting for two spots but they’re really good people.”
2026 NRL Season Launch of the Bulldogs. (Supplied)Source: FOX SPORTS2026 NRL Season Launch of the Bulldogs. (Supplied)Source: FOX SPORTS
With their roster now sorted by Ciraldo and GM of Football Phil Gould, the Bulldogs have removed any uncertainty heading into the 2026 season as they aim for the premiership.
There is only one question that remains. Can they live up to expectations?
If so, they will be one of the favourites alongside the Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and bitter rivals Penrith to emerge victorious over the other 16 teams.
“Expectations get higher as you go good in this competition,” back-rower Viliame Kikau said.
“Teams start coming after you when they know you’re sitting in the top-four the previous year so we know that teams are going to come after us but if we nail our process and we are still driven, we’ll be good.”
Reflecting on the past and putting together a strong pre-season, the Bulldogs now get to prove that they are a different team from the one that bowed out in last year’s semi-finals.
First step…Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium against the St George Illawarra Dragons to kick off the start of the 2026 NRL season.