Off the leash: Free agent Lichaa keen to impress
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Michael Lichaa looks set to hit the open market for next season with the Canterbury hooker resigned to the fact his career at Belmore is likely coming to an end.
Lichaa was emotionally farewelled by the Bulldogs at their final home game in 2017 before he was re-signed three weeks later when Dean Pay took over as coach of the club.
But two years on and Lichaa finds himself at a similar crossroads after another rollercoaster season in which he started in round one before being demoted to the Canterbury Cup.
Canterbury have been linked to several hookers in recent weeks including discarded Knights No.9 Danny Levi, who has been given permission to speak with rival clubs.
Liccha has been mentioned as a potential Sharks recruit but nothing is definite.
"From what I understand there are a few teams interested," Lichaa told NRL.com.
"Hopefully it's sooner rather than later because otherwise it does my head in. It's hard when you're in reserve grade most of the year so you don't have much of a leg to stand on for other clubs to see.
Match: Bulldogs v Panthers
Round 20 -
home Team
Bulldogs
15th Position
away Team
Panthers
9th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
"Hopefully my manager Sam [Ayoub] can pull through for me. It's been a tough year. I started in round one and then played a few minutes off the bench but it doesn't suit me.
"Since I've been back in first grade I've thought my first two games were good and the last two games it's been hard to get into any rhythm."
Canterbury are out of the finals race but have six rounds remaining to avoid the unwanted wooden spoon and finish the season strong.
Bulldogs v Panthers - Round 20
Lichaa remained optimistic the side could put a dent in their rivals' top eight aspirations but was left contemplating what could've been if the season had gone differently.
"We've missed Kieran [Foran] a lot this year which doesn't help because the games he's played he's been the difference between a win and a loss really," Lichaa said.
"In the Sharks game, he's on the field for 15 minutes and we're winning 14-0 and couldn't score a point after that.
"It's been hard without him because I reckon we could've got a few more wins if he was on the field. We've been close in a lot of games but just haven't gone [on] with it."
Canterbury will host their first clash at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday and Lichaa said it was important to remain positive.
"Dean's talked about earning some respect between ourselves and other people in the competition," he said.
"The fans turn up every week and they deserve good performances. We're losing games but earning some respect, obviously we want to win all the time but don't want any blowouts and to end the season that way."
