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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Canterbury-Bankstown District Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Berries, Dogs, Doggies, Dogs of War, The Family Club, The Entertainers |
| Website | bulldogs.com.au |
| Colours | Blue White |
| Founded | 25 September 1934 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
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| CEO | Raelene Castle Andrew Hill (2018 onwards) |
| Coach | Des Hasler |
| Captain | James Graham |
| Competition | National Rugby League |
| 2016 Season | Elimination Finalists (7th) |
| Records | |
| Premierships | 8 (1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004) |
| Runners-up | 10 (1940, 1947, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2012, 2014) |
| Minor premiership | 7 (1938, 1942, 1947, 1984, 1993, 1994, 2012) |
| Wooden spoons | 6 (1943, 1944, 1964, 2002, 2008, 2017) |
| Most capped | 317 - Hazem El Masri |
| Highest points scorer | 2,418 - Hazem El Masri |
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions.
The club was admitted to the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, predecessor of the current NRL competition, in 1935. They won their first premiership in their fourth year of competition with another soon after, and after spending the 1950s and most of the 1960s on the lower rungs went through a very strong period in the 1980s, winning four premierships in that decade.
Known briefly in the 1990s as the Sydney Bulldogs, as a result of the Super League war the club competed in that competition in 1997 before changing their name to the geographically indistinct Bulldogs and continuing to play every season of the re-unified NRL, winning their most recent premiership in 2004. In 2012 the Bulldogs won the minor premiership, but lost to the Melbourne Storm 14–4 in the Grand Final. In 2014 they were in the Grand Finals against Rabbitohs but lost 30-6.
The name and emblem of the club has changed several times over its history. At the club's foundation in 1935, it was known only as 'Canterbury-Bankstown', without an animal mascot. The nicknames 'Berries' and 'C-Bs' (or, derisively, 'Country Bumpkins') were often used informally, 'C-Bs' being used from the outset and 'Berries' coming into use by the mid-1940s. The club had been referred to as the 'Bulldogs' as early as 1977. In 1978, the Bulldog mascot and name was adopted, with the club becoming known as the 'Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs'. This was the name used throughout the team's 1980s glory era. In 1995 the club name was changed to 'Sydney Bulldogs', reflecting a similar change by Eastern Suburbs (to 'Sydney City Roosters'). The name changed again in 1996, returning to 'Canterbury Bulldogs' with 'Bankstown' omitted, and yet again in 2000, to the geographically indistinct 'Bulldogs'. Bob Hagan, the club boss at the time of the 2000 change, explained that the dropping of the name 'Canterbury' was intended to broaden the appeal of the club outside of its traditional supporter base, so that the club could attract a geographically diverse following like Manchester United or the Chicago Bulls. Despite the name change, some supporters, as well as many television and radio commentators, continued to refer to the club as 'Canterbury'. In the most recent change, board officials voted in late 2009 for the club to return to 'Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' from the 2010 season onwards.
The initial crest was a 'C-B' in a shield. The adoption of the 'Bulldogs' name and mascot took place in 1978. There have been three main versions of the mascot logo. The first, which featured a snarling bulldog inside a circle, was replaced in 1998 by a more 'cartoonish' logo of a bulldog's head. In 2009, the club announced that the logo would be changing again, and asked members to vote on which of two similar proposed logos would be used from 2010. The rationale for the logo change was to celebrate the club's 75th anniversary in 2010 and to better reflect the club's "true essence and history". Two months later, the new design was unveiled, with the official change of logo taking place in November 2009. The current logo returns to the standing bulldog of the 1978–1997 logo, although it is no longer snarling. It also references elements of the club's history by incorporating the 'C-B' emblem, the club's year of foundation (1935), and the blue and white 'V' design which has featured on many of the club's jerseys over the years. The change of name from 'Bulldogs' to 'Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' took place after the new logo was unveiled.
The third annual Club Ball, 1938, from the Tom Lennon collection, courtesy of the Powerhouse Museum
1980 NRL Grand Final artwork
Exterior of ANZ Stadium
Interior of Belmore Sports Ground
Interior of ANZ Stadium
Belmore Oval, Crowd at 2016 "Return to Belmore" match, though the Bulldogs lost to the Canberra Raiders
1978-1997
