The strange case of Josh Addo-Carr’s future has been settled.
He’ll be a Bulldog by 2022, ruling out a move to the Rabbitohs – where many of his close friends are playing – and a move that most pundits tipped.
The 25-year-old ends an impressive signing for new coach Trent Barrett, who has lured Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan, Corey Waddell and Jack Hetherington into the club for next season, as well as Matt Burton and now Addo-Carr for 2022.
Addo-Carr’s desire to return to Sydney to be closer to the family was fulfilled with a four-year contract with Belmore – a deal worth more than $ 2 million. It’s a well-deserved, albeit huge, pay raise from his current contract with the Storm, which has earned him $ 375,000 per season – although the club is expected to top up this for the final year of his contract.
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$ 500,000 a season for a winger? Many people will say it’s a waste of money, but in the humble opinion of this Bulldogs fan, it’s money well spent.
If we look at what they’ve accomplished so far in their careers, Addo-Carr seems like a steal compared to Cotric’s $ 600,000-a-year deal. Did the Bulldogs pay for Cotric in retrospect? Possibly. However, one could argue that the club had to do whatever it takes to land a world-class player and get the recruitment wheels moving.
The Bulldogs are in the process of rebuilding. They don’t have a recent Premier League, they haven’t been in the top eight since 2016 and there is no marquee player to attract new recruits. It would be naive to think Canterbury-Bankstown has the same recruiting game plan as Storm or Roosters.
The saying goes, “You have to spend money to make money,” and while the Bulldogs’ ultimate goal is not to make money, it fits their situation perfectly. You have to inject the money – wisely – to have a positive domino effect, and that is exactly what the signing of Cotric did, and what the signing of Addo-Carr should do.
Plus, the days when wingers only caught the ball and put it in the corner are over. Today’s wingers take large stretches and jump meters in the air to make those tough catches.
In addition to his speed and skill, Addo-Carr has an element of star power that the club has been missing for a long time.
Not only does his signature show that the Bulldogs mean business, but it will also attract the attention of other notable players.
Elite players want to line up with other elite players. They want to join a team full of winners and give the courage to the players they really admire.
That’s not to say that the Bulldogs don’t have winners and admirable men on their side just yet. Will Hopoate won the 2011 Premier League with Manly, and Josh Jackson received the highly regarded Brad Fittler Medal in 2016 for his efforts on behalf of NSW.
But Addo-Carr is now a generation. He’s booming and will only get better.
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The NSW and Kangaroos representative is widely considered to be the game’s best winger. It’s been a long time since the Bulldogs had the best position in their club.
It’s a power game as well as a strong commitment on the field.
For the past three years, the Bulldogs have been a stepping stone club, an opportunity for middle-of-the-road players to win some NRL time. Now it will be a club that popular players choose.
The Bulldogs have been waiting patiently for this. A time when the back-end deals stamped by Des Hasler, Raelene Castle and Ray Dibb were resolved and there was finally money to be had.
In July, Barrett was officially introduced as the new coach, Barrett said NRL 360: “We have to be very aware of the homework we do for the players we have to sign and very diligent because we have to do it right.”
Addo-Carr is correct.
The Bulldogs already had a solid striker pack. Raymond Faitala-Mariner played some of his best footys last season, Renouf Atoni and Ofahiki Ogden are extremely underrated and Adam Elliott improves every game he plays. Throw in Josh Jackson’s leadership, young Matt Doorey’s potential, and Luke Thompson’s beast mode – which hopefully comes to life in 2021 – and it’s very promising from the start. The addition of Hetherington’s aggression and workhorse Waddell will only make it stronger.
They lack strike and speed. The backline was hacked and changed several times in the past season. The addition of Cotric – whether playing wing or center – will solve one edge in 2021 and Addo-Carr will solve the other in 2022 … unless he lines up at the full-back. Then nobody will question their salary package considering what other defenders make each season.
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Regardless of where he plays, Addo-Carr’s influence will be felt both on and off the field.
After Flanagan and Burton secure a pair of the future in half, the Bulldogs’ spine is suddenly almost calmed. But next on their hit list should be a world-class whore, someone like Brandon Smith, and what better way to pawn their case with their Storm teammate the # 9 Kiwi.
No doubt it will take more than Addo-Carr to imprison Smith, but it gives the Bulldogs a lot more hope than if Addo-Carr had turned his back on their offer to go elsewhere. If one of the hottest signatures in the NRL voted Belmore, then something good has to be brewed out there, right?
That’s why the Foxx is worth every penny.
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