The Canterbury Bulldogs entered 2026 with title aspirations, but as the NRL heads into Round 15, their chance of winning their first premiership since 2004 has all but evaporated.

Sitting outside the top eight and unlikely to even make the finals, the attention has now shifted to whether the Bulldogs have the right roster balance and spine combination to return to being a premiership threat.

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This raises further questions about whether further changes are needed to correct the direction of their squad under coach Cameron Ciraldo and GM of Football Phil Gould.

“There’s a ton of stuff they need to work out in this off-season,” Code Sports reporter Brent Read said on NRL 360.

“They’ve got to work out what they’re doing with Burton. Are they going to keep him, move him to the centres or pay him what he can get in the open market?

“They’ ve got to decide what they’re doing at fullback. They’ve got so many issues they’ve got to resolve.

“They’ve got to get through this year first with all the dramas that’s going on. It’s a big six months.”

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While much of the scrutiny has been centred on the club’s halves, there is also growing concern around the balance of the remainder of their spine – fullback and hooker.

“I think their list is still heavily invested in their halves. Matt Burton is on good money, Lachie Galvin is on good money,” Michael Carayannis said.

“And then obviously Connor Tracey wouldn’t be on top end and Bailey Hayward wouldn’t be on top end so they’ve still invested quite a significant money but they’ve just got the combination wrong.”

The Bulldogs have moved to bolster their dummy-half stocks for next season by bringing in Freddy Lussick from the Penrith Panthers on a two-year contract.

However, Read believes that the club still needs to target a fullback, having failed in their chase for Wests Tigers star Jahream Bula, who opted to remain at the joint venture on a new long-term deal.

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“I think they need to spend more on their spine. I think they should’ve gone harder at Jahrema Bula when they had the chance,” Read continued.

“I think fullbacks’ been an issue for them and that money can be better spent. Look at the elite teams of the comp…Panthers, Storm, Roosters.”

Anasta agreed with Read’s comments, stating that there is too much money tied up in the outside backs and forward pack rather than the crucial positions at the club.

“There are a lot of players on big money, not the top-end 1.2 (million), but they’re all spread out,” Anasta said.

“Who would’ve thought that at the start of the year they would’ve had such a big job on their hands now, just reformulating and putting pieces of their puzzle together and redoing their cap and putting key positions together.”