Here is all you need to know about the Canterbury Bulldogs 2022 Telstra Premiership draw.
The Lowdown
Teams they play twice
Panthers, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Eels, Knights, Sharks, Wests Tigers, Broncos, Cowboys
Teams they play once
Storm, Roosters, Titans, Raiders, Dragons, Warriors
Day-by-day breakdown
Thursday 0; Friday 8; Saturday 4; Sunday 11; Monday 1.
Opening month
The Dogs kick off with a month of Sundays. After a long trip to humid Townsville to open the season they play the Broncos at home and Manly at 4Pines before a tough trip to Melbourne. There's no way to sugar coat it, even two wins from the opening four would be a great result for Trent Barrett's men.
King hungry for success at Belmore
Toughest stretch
Starting with that round four trip to Melbourne, the Dogs have a nightmare five-game that goes Storm (away), Panthers (home), Souths (away but at Stadium Australia), Broncos (away) and Roosters (home). Even with a big improvement from last year, the Dogs will be doing well to win more than one or two of those.
Make it count
Canterbury's best chance to go on a bit of a run starts towards the end of the Origin period, with a seven-game run from round 15-22 (including a bye) against the Tigers, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Titans, Knights, Cowboys and Warriors. Five of the seven games are at home, four of the seven are against bottom-eight sides from last year and of the seven only Souths made the top six in 2021.
Top 10 tries for 2021: Bulldogs
Storyline to watch
The annual Queen’s Birthday clash between Canterbury and St George Illawarra will have further spice when Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan go up against their former club in June. The Bulldogs’ recruitment spree for 2022 was impressive but how quickly combinations develop will be the major talking point throughout next season. If Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton hit their straps out wide then the points will flow and the Dogs will have a lot more bite.