Re-signed in April, dropped in May?: Why Connor Tracey could take the fall for Bulldogs big problem

The Canterbury Bulldogs have very real problems.

In attack, they are lucky the St George Illawarra Dragons exist or they would be comfortably holding the worst record in the competition.

In defence, things have also been pear-shaped. The stats won't show it to the fullest extent because they have been involved in some strong wins where the defence has been what has salvaged them, but they have also had some horror shows.

The latest - and worst of those - came on Thursday evening when the Dolphins, known for their exploits with the footy in hand, returned to form with a thumping 44 points.

What made it even worse was that the Bulldogs, with a glut of early possession, scored first, and then scored again in the 25th minute. At that stage, it was tough to argue they didn't look to be the better team in their Round 10 contest.

But then things went very pear-shaped for the blue and white. They dropped the ball, missed their tackles and looked rudderless at both ends of the park.

There is no disputing in the modern game exactly how important a fullback is.

They set the defensive line, run the communication from the back and need to pop up in attack left, right and centre.

It has been clear too for some time that the Bulldogs aren't exactly sold on Connor Tracey being their long-term number one, although he has done a solid enough job for the most part wearing blue and white since his surprise move from the Cronulla Sharks a couple of years ago.

The Bulldogs fan base are certainly split on the number one - some think he does a great job, others thing there is plenty more needed from their number one in a side who have gone from premiership contenders in the middle of 2025 to one fighting off the bottom four after ten rounds of 2026.

Tracey has had just three try involvements this year - compare that to the 16 he had last year and he is well behind the pace.

The simple fact the Bulldogs were heavily linked to Jahream Bula before he re-committed to the Tigers tells you all you need to know - the Bulldogs were more than ready to explore other options.

Tracey, in his defence, did have some very good games early in the season. He was tremendous against the Raiders in Round 3 and solid again against the Panthers in that shock Round 7 upset win.

The Round 3 game - played in miserable weather against the Raiders - might well have been his best performance to date as a Bulldog.

Things have really unravelled in the last three weeks though, with Tracey far too error prone and missing five tackles against the Dolphins in a game where he also had his lowest run metre return of the year, and second lowest post contact metre return.

What makes Tracey's form troubling for the Belmore-based outfit is the fact he was re-signed just last month.

It seemed a knee-jerk reaction from director of football Phil Gould and head coach Cameron Ciraldo's who have had increasingly puzzling decisions ever since Lachlan Galvin joined the club in mid-2025.

The Bulldogs could have held out for a Trai Fuller or William Kennedy type player, but instead, they struck out on what they knew, and are now locked into Tracey, who was a utility before he joined Canterbury, for the next two seasons as well as the rest of this one.

As it stands, Tracey is potentially going to keep his spot just by virtue of the options around him, but there is a very real argument to say that after being re-signed in April, he won't be in first-grade by the end of May without a significant run of results.

Canterbury have to do something, and given their reserve grade side have actually managed to find two wins in their last four games, it's not a stretch to say change is coming.

Kade Dykes is playing five-eighth at the moment, but has actually managed to string a run of games together for the first time in what seems like years.

The former Shark has had a horror run with injury, but has looked silky in the lower grade. Maybe it's too soon to suggest he wins a promotion to play fullback in the Top 30, but it can't be far away from becoming a serious conversation.

The other likely option is Taye Cochrane. He is currently not on an official contract, but played in the pre-season challenge and could be eligible if the Bulldogs have either upgraded his deal or apply to the NRL for dispensation - he has been in fine form at reserve grade level.

Canterbury could also play a left-field throw of the dice.

It's clear change is needed in the halves, and while the Sean O'Sullivan experiment to replace an injured Matt Burton didn't work last week, he had plenty of nice touches in the pre-season, is playing well at reserve grade level, and is an experienced first-grader.

The combination between he and Lachlan Galvin could well be what Canterbury need to turn their attack around, which could then move Burton to the centres and just maybe Crichton to fullback.

That experiment didn't work when it was tried early in his tenure at Belmore, but nonetheless, he signed with the Bulldogs wanting to play fullback and is a far more mature player now than then.

The bottom line is that Ciraldo is approaching the point where he has to try something.

Maybe Tracey isn't the guy to take the fall, but the problem for Canterbury is they have staked their rocket ship to Galvin at number seven and Bailey Hayward at nine by letting Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney leave.

Changing the halves or hooker where depth is a problem anyway, as a result, is a nigh on an impossibility.

Maybe they will feel the same about Tracey given his recent re-signing, but the fan base are crying out for someting.

Don't be surprised if dominoes start falling in the coming weeks without a signficant adjustment.