The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have announced the extension of emerging hooker Kaawyn Patterson, who is to remain at the club until the end of 2029.

Patterson will pick up a development deal for next season before being elevated into the NRL Top 30 for 2028 and 2029.

He spent 2026 in the SG Ball side before moving into Jersey Flegg level to finish the campaign.

Highly regarded as an important piece of the Bulldogs' future, Patterson was crowned SG Ball Player of the Year while donning the captaincy duties in a finals run.

The Flegg side found plenty of success and reached the Grand Final before they were outclassed by a strong Penrith outfit.

The Bulldogs finished their under-21s campaign with 14 wins and six losses.

Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould is excited at the development Patterson has shown so far as the 19-year-old pushes for an NRL debut in 2027.

“Kaawyn has excelled in our pathways program and I have no doubt he will soon be playing at the NRL level. We are very excited about this young man,” he said in a Bulldogs statement.

“Aside from his obvious football talent, Kaawyn has also displayed extraordinary leadership potential. We are lucky to have Kaawyn in our club.”

The rising hooker also made three appearances in the Bulldogs' NSW Cup season, coming off the interchange bench but playing more than 45 minutes in all three encounters.

Two of those matches were wins, with Patterson securing a try, try assists and a handful of tackle breaks against tested opposition.

His extension marks a positive succession plan beginning to blossom in Belmore as the Bulldogs' young and exciting spine starts to take shape.

Lachlan Galvin has had a career-best year in the chief playmaking role, while the club has high hopes for under-19s representative half Mitchell Woods, who will no doubt make his mark with an NRL debut in 2027.
Patterson can be added to the list of exciting young stars, and after surging through the grades during 2026, he will train with the NRL squad when pre-season commences in November.