Fresh on the heels of general manager Phil Gould promising two new signings for the Bulldogs, a full roster will mean two more players will join the club's mass exodus.
The Bulldogs previously confirmed 12 players would leave the club at the end of the season, however, the futures of Christian Crichton and Ofahiki Ogden were left in the balance.
The off-contract duo appear almost certain to be let go by the Belmore organisation though, with Melbourne Storm forward Max King announced as the first of Gould's promised two signings. The other is rumoured to be South Sydney Rabbitohs outside back Braidon Burns, who supposedly won't make his decision until after the grand final.
It's understood those two signings will complete the Bulldogs' roster for 2022, leaving the off-contract duo with no option but to seek a move elsewhere.
The Australian's Brent Read added on Triple M radio that the club have now told the two players a contract offer won't be made despite expectations being the other way.
“Ofahiki Ogden and Christian Crichton are two guys who thought they were going to get a new deal out of the Bulldogs, but it turns out they are not,” Read said on Triple M.
“The club has told them there is not an offer for them there, so they are now joining a host of other players on the open market.
“Talking to people close to them the expectation was that they would get a new deal out of the Bulldogs.
“In fact Ogden earlier this year had a two-year deal on the table from the Bulldogs, but it got pulled.
“He was subsequently told that the club wanted to keep him, but now they have both been told the club is going in a different direction and they are free to leave.
“So that is two guys that have come on the player market that didn’t expect it.”
