The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have added more international quality to their playing ranks, securing the return of Kiwi back rower Greg Eastwood on a three year deal.

Eastwood, who played 23 matches for the Bulldogs in 2009 before heading to English Super League outfit Leeds Rhinos for this season, will link back with the Club at the conclusion of the English season.

“From experience we know what a positive influence Greg can have around a Club,” Bulldogs Chief Executive Mr. Todd Greenberg said.

“He is highly thought of at the Bulldogs and he will be a very valuable addition to our NRL squad in 2011 and beyond.

“It’s been well documented that Greg struggled to settle in England and I’d like to thank the Leeds Rhinos for the compassion they have shown in allowing him to explore a return to the NRL. We are delighted that he will be back in Bulldogs colours from next season.”

Eastwood’s return represents more than an addition to the playing roster, with the Bulldogs and Rhinos agreeing to a partnership over the course of negotiations that will result in development opportunities for both Clubs.

“There’s still a few details to fill in but I’d expect that we’ll see some of their young players come out here to experience how we do things in the NRL, and there’s a possibility for some professional development opportunities for staff from both Clubs as well,” Mr. Greenberg added.

“Certainly the opportunity is there to form a lasting relationship, one that we all can learn from.”

Eastwood, 23, played 64 NRL matches for the Brisbane Broncos between 2005 and 2008 prior to joining the Bulldogs in 2009. He made his international debut for New Zealand in 2007, and played every match for the Kiwis on their way to winning the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

On top of his experience in the Super League, he has also featured in two World Club Challenge matches, playing for Leeds against the Melbourne Storm in 2010 and for Brisbane against St Helens in 2007.

Just been reading a couple of potential banners the boys are working on for next year... some rippers in there

"unlike Joel our Dogs dont suck"

"15 - Number of the Beast"

"Iron Aiden"

"Frankie goes to Canterbury"

"Ive got Hodgkinson disease"

"Paea the Tolman"

This one could be used for Penrith matches, directed at Arana Taumata.
"Who needs tomato sauce, when you have Barba-cue"


"The Tandy Man Can"

"One in a Millington"

Tandy!
Avoid
Betting!

Life gone to SHIT?
Become a Roosters Supporter!

"Our Browne isn't in hotel corridors"

Ben Barba:
Barba-rian alert
Untouchable Barbawire
Beware the Barba-rian
X Factor -- Bulldogs_Mania
King Barba
Big Ben
Our Barba cuts up defence
Barba shop (with logo + neon-style letters)

Steve Turner:
Sterner Turner
Turner -- simply the best
Head Turner - Bulldogs_Mania
Afterburner Turner
It's our Turner

Josh Morris:
He is the better Morris
Chuck Morris

Jamal Idris:
Simply Idrisistable
Idrillicious - Bulldogs_Mania

Incredible
Destructive
Rapid/Racing/Radiant
Irresistible
Super?

Bryson Goodwin:
Any win's a Goodwin
Bryson Goodwinger - Bulldogs_Mania
Good kick, good win
Lord Bryson

Ben Roberts:
Compared to Roberts, you look like hobbits (LOL)
Big Ben

Trent Hodkinson:
It's on like Hodkinson - Hog
Trent Warfare

Aiden Tolman:
Iron Aiden - Mike B
Paea the Tolman
Tolman Show

Michael Ennis:
Our Ennis is bigger than Yours
Ennis: The only hooker worth paying for
Suck my Ennis - costaki10
DALLY Mennis

Ryan Tandy:
Handy Tandy
Tandy-man - anfornee
iTandy

Andrew Ryan:
Flyin' Ryan

Frank Pritchard:
Franktastic
Frank the Tank - anfornee
Mount Pritchard
Let's be Frank
Frank HitsHard
Mount Frank-lin
Frankie says RELAX
FranknStagg
Frankly brilliant

David Stagg:
FranknStagg
Staggering - anfornee
Our Stagg last

Kris Keating:
Kris-Kross - anfornee
Keating for PM
PM Keating
Keating - the five-eighth/player we had to have (cos it'd be real awkward to have 5/8 if he plays on the bench and Roberts starts...)
Kris Keating Klan
Special K (Special in Blue, K in orange/red)
Redheads (with matchbox pic)
Keating is not cheating -- he's just too good

Mickey Paea:
Paea the Tolman
Paea-day
It's Paea back time
Paea the Slayer
IPAEA
"Affordable solution for better winning"

Greg Eastwood:
Unleash the Beastwood - anfornee (being cut down to just "Beastwood"
Return of the Beast
Gregcellent

Tim Browne:
Blue, White and Browne - anfornee
Our Browne isn't in hotel corridors (for Roosters matches)

Daniel Rauicava:
Daniel Raui-carve-em-up

Sam Kasiano:
Mt Kasiano

Shane Neumann:
Hello Neumann

Michael Lett:
Who Lett the Dogs out?

Martin Taupau:
Kapow Taupau!

Corey Payne:
Feel the Payne
House of Payne
The Payne Train
No Payne No Gaine
Hazy with a chance of Payne

Johnathon Wright:
Feels Wright at home
No time like the Wright time
Blue and Wright
Got the Wright stuff
Wright here, Wright now
The Price is Wright

Jake Foster:
The Price is Wright (His nickname is Pricey)

Joel Romelo:
Caromelo Bear/Koala

Gary Warburton:
Dogs of War-burton

Aiden Sezer:
Iron Aiden - Mike B
Hail Sezer


Team Specific
Eels:
The Hayne Train -- as reliable as City Rail
The Hayne Train -- derails at Mt Pritchard via Eastwood

Roosters:
Our Browne isn't in hotel Corridors

Dragons:

2 TEAMS, 1 CUP

These guys get to work as soon as the season ends, once all signings are official they are into it.

They come from members of our mad supporters known as "the kennel"

I love Dell, great guy, with a big personality

BULLDOGS insiders have been privately doing cartwheels about arch-rivals Parramatta letting them sign rookie centre Jonathan Wright on a deal worth $80,000 a season.

The youngster has been blitzing it in the pre-season, while a couple of suburbs away at Parramatta Timana Tahu has been nothing but high maintenance.

Alot of pressure directly on Moore this season. He whined about injuries and what not last season, they have opened the cheque book and really bought up. Anything other than a top 4 finish will be deemed a failure.

We now have enough quality players in the key positions to produce the consistent performance required to threaten.

To me its up to him to prepare this team right in the pre season and have the sides tactics worked out, and STICK to the tactics not change and change, move good players to positions they are un familiar with.

THIS is the young bloke good judges say will be the NRL's next big thing.

But don't worry if you're a footy fan who's never heard of big Sam Kasiano - you will.

Very soon.

Out Belmore way, they're already saying this man-mountain Kiwi - who, at 20, stands at 196cm and tips the scales at a whopping 118kg - could be anything.

"Better than Willie?" we asked one good judge, who's seen a fair bit of big Sam play.

"Please," was the response. "He plays Willie off the break at the same age - and he's bigger.

"The best I've seen in a long time ... best since Darren Britt."

We really didn't want to mention Sonny Bill so let's just say that big Sam is going to be big.

Though he isn't the only young gun earning huge wraps in Club Land.

Remember how Storm superstars Billy Slater and Cameron Smith couldn't crack it for a start with the Broncos when they were kids?

Well, big Sam comes to you via the same production line.

"The Broncos had him and didn't rate him," Bulldogs recruitment chief Peter Mulholland explained.

The story goes Kasiano was playing at Brisbane Norths when he jumped on a plane and headed down for a Bulldogs trial against the Tigers.

"We didn't let him back on the plane," Mulholland recalled.

And after dropping 10kg since arriving, 118kg Sam is now one of the quickest forwards over both sprint and endurance distances at the club.

Throw in the fact he's a ball- playing prop and you're starting to understand why Canterbury can't wait to see how he goes in the upcoming trials.

Jamal Idris is in Doggie heaven and he should think long and hard before leaving Canterbury for another NRL club

AS strange as it sounds, we don't always know what makes us successful.
Let me explain.

I had to head out to Canterbury the other day for some Origin stuff. I wanted to talk to head coach Kevin Moore, and Harry Harris and Tony Grimaldi on his staff, about what we were doing for the Blues - and to see if there were ways they could come on board with us. Which they were only too happy to do.

Having never been to their training ground before, I was a little confused about where to go - and then I saw Jamal Idris jogging in from over the road.

I yelled out to him. He saw me and his face lit up in a big smile and he high-fived me, pointing the way to where the Bulldogs were holed up.

Gee, he looked happy.

Idris is the player I want to talk about today.

But while we're thinking about Idris, who is in the best form of his young career, I want you to think about him in comparison to the game's current player of the year, Todd Carney.

Carney always had talent, but he also had a few very hard years where his wayward ways off the field took away from what he was able to bring on the field.

It took being stood down from the game for a season to jolt him into reality and to make him remove his off-field influences to finally get his act together.

And he won the big award.

After a few tough years, Carney now knows what he needs to do off the field to make it work for him on the field.

Idris is still in the early stages of his career, so I'm not sure if he knows himself well enough yet to know what works for him and what doesn't.

I don't know if Idris even knows why he is playing so well at the moment.

So I look at what we keep seeing.

During the week I saw vision of him at the Bulldogs' recovery session. He was supposed to be heading up and down the pool in recovery, he had schoolkids climbing all over him, dragging a few of them, and he looked to be having the time of his life.

The Bulldogs were happy to let him enjoy himself.

At the same time, I see and hear reports of him going to look over the operation at Newcastle. The Knights have shown interest in signing him beyond this contract.

The Dogs are happy to let him go there and check it out - the same as they are happy to let him go to the Titans.

They are comfortable enough with their own organisation to let Idris have a look at other clubs, believing that once he has satisfied himself there, he will come back to them. Then they can offer him a deal that will be more than satisfactory.

The Bulldogs' confidence in their own organisation and its benefits is a big player in Idris's happiness at the moment.

Happy off the field, he is also running on to the field in a happy state of mind and his football is benefiting because of it.

That's what the Bulldogs can do for you, and it's something I hope Idris doesn't lose sight of while he is looking at other clubs and the money they throw at him.

I have no idea what he is being offered.

I'd just say that I hope he keeps in mind that more money does not mean more happiness, and that by heading to another club there is no guarantee this happiness he is clearly showing at the moment will go with him.

I love the way the Bulldogs run their club.

I played there and learned a lot about running a club. When I got the job at the Roosters, their opponent this afternoon, the staff I took with me were John Cartwright, an old hard-head from Penrith, and Dean Pay, a former Bulldogs player.

Already there at the Roosters was Phil Gould, a former Bulldogs player and coach.

The first thing I did at the club was try to instill some of the qualities I learned at the Bulldogs into the Roosters, and it went a long way towards us making three grand finals in those first three years Iwas there.

That's the kind of impact the Dogs' approach can have, and something I hope Idris keeps high on his priorities when it comes to making his decision.

There is nothing wrong with not knowing what it is that makes you successful early in your career.

Later in your career that can be a problem but, early on, that's OK.

The trick is if we don't know what is making us successful there is a simple solution to staying successful.

Don't change anything.

I really liked this article and i hope Jamal reads it too. You see it all too often players leaving clubs for money and success. Justin Hodges is a classic example, left the Broncos for more money and it nearly destroyed his career. Successful clubs have a low turn over of not only key players but over all in general. Look at the Storms success, low turn over of coach and staff. The Dragons have had the core of their side for a number of years. The cowboys have had a rotating door for years now. Look at the Broncos their players stay their year after year for money less then what they could get if they went onto the market..... stability in your club and as a player will give you success

close, Ricky Stuart

Roast Chook for dinner tonight

great game. more , more.

When it sticks there is nothing better to watch. This game was so fantastic, so encouraging after the poor start. Some of the tyrs were just OMG. Thanks Hayne, you brought our aggression out, have been waiting for it. Loved it.
Barba, Keating, Jamal, Payne, Ennis, Millington - too many to list. Fantastic

Down 14 nil, 34 straight points. What a win!!!!!!!


Breathe Diva Breathe....

When you actually settle down you come to realise this was a Parramatta side we SHOULD beat with this side. We won that match on flair and having to take initiative, that wasn't part of Moore's coaching plans, that was born out of needing to get back into the game when our style he implements wasn't working.

Also, if we fail to look outside of this win. If we keep just looking at the table, then we are setting ourself up for a big shock when it all comes undone against the quality sides. Right now we aren't good enough.

If we go on and win the title, I'll gladly have a big fat slice of humble pie. There are problems, and I can see them, clear as day. So why can't Moore?

I'm willing to let Moore have this season to prove himself and at least get us playing the football this side should, but so far we haven't been.

Well last season was full of disaster and tears....... but, Im feeling something from Belmore..... Long term coaching future secured with arguably the best and most successful coach in recent times, greatest asset being his ability to develop juniors into representative stars. A young and talented group of players for him to work his magic on. A substantial upgrade to our training facilities rivalling any club in the NRL. A fired up ranga from the ESL that has more wraps on him than a game of pass the parcel. After a full off season Greg Eastwood might weigh under a metric tonne and will be like a new signing. Room in the cap for 2013 to secure a few stars, first on the list will be mr maloney or mr foran, either of which I would love to have at the club.

There's a phenomenon i've been experiencing recently, this so called 'optimism' that has deserted me in recent years. I had to consult my old friend Oxford to find out what it was as I had forgotten it's meaning.

Am I alone or are there some others who find themselves smiling every time their mind wanders to the future and what it may hold for our club. Life's a **** on the whole, but somehow it seems better when the Doggies are winning, and it feels like we're going to re-emerge as a real force in this competition over the next few seasons.

I dunno, just me?

PS... Bulldogs playing at Belmore Sportsground V Roosters 12/2/12.... ROADTRIP!!!