Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - History

History

In 1935 – thirteen years after a meeting above "The Ideal Milk Bar" in Campsie led to the creation of the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League – the Canterbury club was admitted into the elite New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. It took the new club, nicknamed "Country Bumpkins" because of their rural recruiting and CB emblem, just three years to win their first premiership in 1938. The grand final-winning effort was repeated again in 1942 before a 25-year drought set in.

In 1967, having ended the 11-year premiership reign of the great St.George by knocking them out in the final, "The Berries" (as they were known at the time) went down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the grand final. But the return to the top end of the table set the scene for off-field restructuring that laid the foundations for the club to become one of the most consistent achievers in the remaining decades of the 20th century.

In 1978 Canterbury became known as "The Bulldogs". Nicknames such as "Cantabs" "CBs" and "Berries" were seen to be "soft" and the club wanted something to signify determination and grit. A grand final appearance in 1979, followed by a grand final win in 1980 with a young, enthusiastic and free-running side dubbed "The Entertainers", was the beginning of a golden era that was to produce three more grand final wins in the 1980s: 1984, 1985 and 1988.

In the mid-1990s' Super League war, the Bulldogs aligned themselves with the Super League competition, playing in the inaugural and only 1997 premiership season. In 1998 the Bulldogs came close to adding another trophy to the cabinet after battling their way to the Grand Final where they met the Brisbane Broncos and went down 38–12. On the way to the 1998 Grand Final, the Bulldogs launched two stunning comebacks, first against the Knights in the third week of the finals – down 16–0 in the second half, they fought back to 16-all at full-time and went on to win in extra time. A week later they trailed Parramatta in the preliminary final by 16 points with just 9 minutes remaining. Three quick tries and a high pressure conversion in the final minutes got them back level at 18-all, and the Bulldogs eventually went on to victory.

Following indifferent form in 1999, 2000 and 2001 which all saw varying levels of success, the club was found to have systematically and deliberately breached the NRL salary cap in 2002, and was docked all 37 competition points which it had amassed up to that point in the season. This resulted in the club falling from first to last place on the ladder, and at the end of the season the Bulldogs received their first "wooden spoon" (a reference given to the club which finishes last in the competition) in several decades.

The Bulldogs returned to finals contention in 2003, however they fell one step short of yet another Grand Final after going down to the Roosters 28–18 in the Preliminary Final.

The club went through some well-documented off-field dramas in 2004, the most serious of which included rape allegations during a pre season match in Coffs Harbour. The team managed to maintain their focus on football and triumphed when they held out arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters in a 16–13 thriller in the Grand Final. The game was the last for the departing captain Steve Price, but he ultimately missed the match due to a leg injury. The victory capped club's 70th anniversary season in style, and was their eighth premiership, ranking them fifth in the all-time premiership tally.

2005 saw the Bulldogs unable to mount a serious defence of their premiership title as injuries and contract negotiations saw the year start and finish on a sour note for the club. Due to the extent of injuries suffered, the team was under-strength for most of the year. This took its toll in the final six weeks of the season, with the club suffering successive heavy losses and missing the finals series. In 2006, little was expected from the club after a lacklustre 2005 season, but despite some doubt over the strength of their side, the Bulldogs' impressive forward pack helped them to a better than expected result for the year, finishing just a game short of the Grand Final, in which they lost to eventual premiers the Brisbane Broncos. Inconsistency and a poor finish to the 2007 season meant the Bulldogs were bundled out of the finals in week two.

The failings of the 2007 season paved the way for much of the pain and anguish the club suffered in 2008. Having already lost Mark O'Meley to the Roosters, rumblings of discontent from big-name player Willie Mason eventually resulted in his departure from the club. Further into the off-season the Bulldogs also lost seasoned halfback Brent Sherwin, and prospects for the 2008 season began to look dim. While their start to the season saw them record a couple of victories, the club's injury toll again took hold, and the departure of star player Sonny Bill Williams mid-season unannounced to France completely demoralised the club and players, with the result being the Bulldogs' second wooden spoon of the decade.

Another feature of 2008 which was the source of much discontent was the battle for election to the football club board. Many contenders believed that the board of the time was steering the club in the wrong direction, with criticism of then-CEO Malcolm Noad high. New members were elected to the board early in 2008, and a number of months into the season Noad resigned as CEO. His replacement as head of the football club was Todd Greenberg, who remains CEO to this day.

Todd Greenberg's influence took hold during the 2008–09 off-season, and was ultimately realised in 2009. The replacement of premiership-winning coach Steve Folkes with his assistant Kevin Moore was met with uncertainty but proved a masterstroke. The purchases of several key players, including former Melbourne and Cronulla playmaker Brett Kimmorley changed the Bulldogs from a poorly run and poorly performing club to one of the best clubs both on and off the field in 2009. The Bulldogs finished 2nd in the regular season (losing the minor premiership to the St George Illawarra Dragons due to a two point competition loss for an interchange breach against Penrith in Round 2), and players and officials took out a number of prestigious Dally M awards. 2009 was also the final season for club legend Hazem El Masri, who became the highest all-time pointscorer in Australian rugby league history with a penalty goal in the Bulldogs' Round 1 match against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

From 2010, the Bulldogs returned to the name Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs after the board voted to name it. The Canterbury-Bankstown club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010.