Bulldogs sign Connor Tracey to new extension, out of race to sign Jahream Bula, Wests Tigers roster

The Bulldogs have effectively ruled themselves out of a potential bid for Tigers fullback Jahream Bula after announcing Connor Tracey has signed a two-year extension.

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Tracey has quickly become one of the more consistent fullbacks in the game since arriving at the Bulldogs in 2024 and is widely-regarded as a defensive specialist.

While there were questions over the ceiling of the Bulldogs’ attack with Tracey at the back, the club has given the 29-year-old a huge vote of confidence by re-signing him.

“I’m very excited about extending my time at the Bulldogs,” Tracey said.

“My game has really developed over the last couple of years and I credit ‘Ciro’ and the entire coaching staff for that.

“We’re building something special here and I can’t wait to continue on this journey with my teammates.”

Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould AM said the club was “thrilled” to have signed Tracey for another two years, declaring he has been “exceptional” since arriving at Belmore.

“He’s a competitor, a leader and someone who gives everything for his teammates every single week,” Gould added.

The Bulldogs were tipped as one team to monitor in the race for Bula’s signature and while there is still a possibility the versatile Tracey could be moved to centre to accommodate the Tigers young gun, Canterbury is already spoiled for choice at that position.

Either way, The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio said on Tuesday that you can “rule a line through” Bula joining the Bulldogs.

PANTHERS EXTEND YOUNG GUN

In other signing news, the Panthers have confirmed 21-year-old rising forward Zakauri Clarke has extended with the club for another two years.

Clarke, brother of emerging Storm star Cooper and formerly in the Wests Tigers system, is enjoying a successful season in the NSW Cup this year and will remain in the club’s top 30 squad until at least the end of 2028 now.

Panthers General Manager of Football Shane Elford said the club “looks forward to his continued development over the coming year”.

“Zakauri is a hardworking forward who has continued to develop his game and perform consistently this season,” Elford added.

STORM ‘NOT UP TO STANDARD’ ACCORDING TO SKIPPER

Storm skipper Harry Grant says his side is “defensively not up to standard” after they slumped to a fourth-straight loss on the weekend, but he insists all hope is not lost after seeing Penrith recover from a horror start last year to almost win the title.

Melbourne has been the most feared team in the NRL for the past two decades but they were bullied at home by the Warriors on the weekend, with the visitors snapping a 17-game losing streak against them in the process.

A shocking run of injuries coupled with several key departures in the off-season has left the Storm exposed for the first time in years, with coach Craig Bellamy forced to play middles on an edge, while they lack strike out wide.

But it’s defensively where they’ve really struggled, with Melbourne conceding 158 points through the opening six rounds, including 116 in their past three games.

“There’s a level that we need to be performing to, and we’re certainly not there at the moment with application on the field,” Grant said.

“We’ve been preparing really well for games and there are answers in the team and in the coaching squad, but it’s up to us to put in practice for performances on the weekend.”

Club legend Billy Slater questioned their attitude after the Warriors loss, while Brad Fittler described their defence as “terrible” on the Sunday Footy Show.

Grant said all criticism of the team was fair leading into Friday’s showdown with the Raiders, but he wasn’t going to be driven by it after seeing people’s opinions of the Bulldogs change quickly after they stunned Penrith.

“Everyone changes their tune week after week,” he said.

“I think they had the Bulldogs written off a few weeks ago, but after the weekend they’re probably back in the loop.

“With that, it’s eliminating all the outside noise. We’ve got all the answers in the club here with the playing group and the coaching staff, but it’s just about applying it.

“People can have their opinions, but it doesn’t mean too much.”

The Storm have traditionally started seasons well to give them breathing room around the Origin period, but they can’t afford that now with just two wins.

But they haven’t given up yet and only have to look at the Panthers who were last after 12 rounds before they turned it around to get within one game of the grand final.

“You can certainly take inspiration from other teams and where they’ve been,” their skipper said.

“At the end of the day, it’s a different team, a different environment, and it’s us that’s in it and it’s us that can make it happen. It’s not just going to happen because it’s happened in the past.

“You’ve got to go out there and create it and make it happen yourself.”

All eyes will be on forward Joe Chan on Friday after he was hooked in the second half against the Warriors following three errors and a penalty despite being given a bake by Bellamy in the sheds at halftime.

“Everyone’s been in those shoes at times as a player,” Grant said.

“We just need Joey at his best. When he brings his strengths to the team and is at his best, he’s a great asset to the team.

“It’s important that he gets back to that this week and prepares well. You can single one player out, but it’s not just one player. It’s a collective 30-man squad, and that’s what it is.”

FAMILIAR FACE COULD PLOT ROOSTERS’ DOWNFALL

Plenty of assistants have made the big leap into head coaching and have struggled early on, but Justin Holbrook has made an immediate impact at the Knights as he prepares to return to Sydney where his side will take on the Roosters.

Holbrook spent a couple of seasons at the Roosters as their attack coach after he was let go by the Titans, with players from the Sydney glamour club regularly praising him for making them one of the most prolific teams with the ball.

He was rewarded with the Knights gig where he’s turned the worst attack into something a lot more potent, with last year’s wooden-spooners a joy to watch despite being without injured stars Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown.

“He’s a really good man manager,” Roosters forward Angus Crichton said.

“He knows how to get the best out of his players, and it’s impressed me seeing him go across and still be happy.

“You see a lot of great assistants go across, and it helps when you’re winning, but he looks like he’s learnt a lot from his first head coaching gig. I’m so happy for him, he’s such a great bloke.

“I’ve got a lot of time for ‘Justo’. He really got us humming, so it’ll be a good test for us.”

The Roosters will host Newcastle on Sunday after they stormed home to beat the Sharks in Perth on a day they couldn’t hold on to the ball for the first 20 minutes but steadied things in the second half to kick clear.

“I think we’re still so far from our best and we’re nowhere near where we want to be yet,” Crichton said.

“We’ve got so much work to do, and we were back working hard again out there today. We are still nowhere near where we want to get to; we’re super aware and not running around thinking we’re world beaters yet.

“We’re just still breaking it down today, looking at some of our timing and some of our shapes. We’re still not in the right spots at the right times, and I think that’s only going to come with a little bit more game time together and continuity.

“We’ll keep building those combinations and making sure that everyone’s doing their job.”

The Roosters won last week’s game by 12 points but it could have been more had Robert Toia not been denied a clear try by the Bunker for a disrupter which sparked plenty of outrage and led to an admission from the NRL that the call was wrong.

Toia missed training on Tuesday as he recovers from the flu, with Crichton joking that mid-season interpretations are nothing new.

“How long have you been in rugby league for? You shouldn’t be surprised. This is what we do!” he laughed.

“I’m not surprised. This stuff happens every year; there are always different things that pop up, and it’s just how as a team you can get around it, understand it, and practise it best.

“There’s no point in having a sulk and crying about it. The only way you move forward is by adapting to it and making sure you’re across it, and then when it changes back, you’re ready to go. Hopefully in the next couple of rounds, we’ll be back to where it needs to be.

“There’s been a lot of chat about it, and the NRL came out and said that they got that one wrong. It’s good that hopefully they can try and stamp it out and a bit of common sense will prevail in the future.”

Meanwhile, Crichton is getting used to fatherhood after he and his partner welcomed Sullivan into the world on Easter Sunday.

“We went in there (the hospital) on Saturday night, and he arrived Sunday morning,” Crichton said.

“The club was great. The boys were meant to train on Monday, but I called the coach on Sunday and he let me have Monday off. I came in on Tuesday and just did the bare minimum; I did field, missed all the meetings, did some gym, and cruised home after that.

“I went back to the hospital, and then the boys travelled to Perth on Wednesday. I got to stay an extra night to make sure they were home and settled before I took off on Thursday.

“The club was great, it was a special time, and it’s good to be back at home now so I can help out.”

TOWERING TONGAN STAR TO CLASH WITH IDOL

Taniela Paseka grew up idolising Jason Taumalolo when he was in school, but the towering Sea Eagles prop will have to put his emotions to the side when he takes on his Tongan comrade in a heavyweight bout on Thursday night.

Taumalolo played a key role in the Tongan revolution nearly a decade ago when he and Andrew Fifita made the big call to play for the tiny nation at the 2017 World Cup.

Stars have followed ever since and the international game has benefited greatly, with Paseka playing three Tests alongside the veteran forward at the 2024 Pacific Championships.

There is plenty of Tongan talent in the current Manly side headlined by Paseka, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolu Koula and Lehi Hopoate, with the awesome foursome to go against one of the country’s most influential figures.

Taumalolo has been in fantastic form to start the year and is having his best yardage season since 2020, with the fearless forward coming off 219 metres against Brisbane last week.

Paseka is also returning to his best after suffering a devastating Achilles rupture that ruled him out for most of the 2025 campaign, with the big men to clash in the middle.

“Playing against Jason, I’ve literally looked up to him since I was in school,” he told the NewsWire.

“I remember the first time playing against him, I went home and told my family, “I’m playing against Jason Taumalolo!”

“So it’s always good to play against your fellow Tongans, but also it’s a good challenge for us to try and put it on top of them and try and win the game.

“I’m not thinking too much about individuals; I’m just thinking about me doing my job for my team and that’s it.

“It used to be (weird playing against him). But now I’ve been in the game for a fair bit, it’s just another game to me. I don’t look at individuals too much, but he is a pretty cool player to play against and with.”

The pair will likely be teammates at the World Cup later this year, with Tonga looking to bounce back after a disappointing Pacific Championships in 2025, while they feel they could have gone deeper at the previous World Cup where Samoa stole the show.

“No, we’ve had no chat. Nothing’s been mentioned yet (about the World Cup),” Paseka said.

“It’s all club footy at the moment. Maybe when it gets closer to the end of the year, there might be a bit of chat, but I think this is very early.

“First of all, you’ve got to make the team. I don’t want to say I’ve made the team, but first play good footy and then hopefully make the team.”