The Canterbury Bulldogs were the second top-four side to go out in straight sets in 2025, alongside the Canberra Raiders.
While many have pointed to the arrival of Lachlan Galvin and numerous roster shake-ups as the main contributors behind their failed postseason, Maroons coach and Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater has identified another issue.
"I don't think the Bulldogs have top-end talent," he said on Nine's The Billy Slater Podcast.
"They don't have Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo, all these top-end talent players."
Slater admitted he never believed the Bulldogs had what it took to make it all the way, even during their purple patch of form earlier in the season.
"It's a hard game, and I remember at the start of the year, you asked me what team I thought was going to be on the slide," Slater said.
"I don't like telling people what they can't do, but I knew it was going to be a real challenge this year for the Bulldogs to back up what they did last year."
He argued that the Dogs' intense game plan was "hard to sustain", with the team relying heavily on fitness and defensive structures to tire their opponents.
Their biggest star is Stephen Crichton, who went off injured halfway through their first finals match against the Storm.
Slater believes that without a superstar talent in a key position, it's extremely difficult to find postseason success.
"If you look at Melbourne Storm, [they have got] Jahrome Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Harry Grant and Cameron Munster, that's their key positions," he said.
"I don't think the Bulldogs have got the luxury of the top-end talent, so they've got to do it with this work ethic and style of football that is really hard to sustain for a long period.
"That's why I thought it was a challenge for them, and they felt that lack of top-end talent towards the back-end of this year."
The Bulldogs will look to regroup ahead of the 2026 season, with numerous reports indicating a potential star signing in Belmore before their Round 1 matchup in Vegas next year.
