Bulldogs put grim times behind them to focus on bright rugby league future

Things were so bleak that the Group Seven Rugby League management committee allowed the club to drop out of first grade competition and finish the 2019 season in reserve grade.

Slowly but surely the club is rebuilding and season 2023 is vastly different to what things were like in 2019.

Club president Jeff Conley said first grade coach Andy Lynch was one of the reasons for the turnaround.

"Andy is not just a first grade coach - he is a club coach," Conley, who is in his first term as president, said.

The club president said Lynch had brought a sense of professionalism to the entire club.

The coach's professionalism stems from his impressive playing career in England.

Lynch, who just agreed to a new deal that will see him coach in 2024, looks like he promotes a club-first mentality - he regularly has all the teams and grades training together as one.

The first grade side does not play this weekend and so coach Lynch got the senior players to train with the junior sides - another example of the "as one" mentality - this week.

The results of the "Bulldogs as one" mentally are being shown on the scoreboards and on competition ladders.

Both first grade and reserve grade could be semi-final bound, the women's open tackle team looks to be a premiership chance and the women's league-tag teams are also producing the goods.

Given what is being produced - no wonder the Bulldogs wanted Lynch back for next season.

Conley said Wade Walker was also doing a great job coaching the reserve grade side.

Another key element in the Bulldogs' revival is the committee.

"This band of people we have on the committee is really good and they are all passionate about the club," the president said.

"We are all working together which is another pleasing thing."

There is just a nice positive feeling coming from the Bulldogs.

"The interest in us from around the town is immense," the club president said.

"The crowds and support we get is unbelievable."

Harmonious was a word the club president used to describe feeling within the footy club.

He said 95 percent of the Bulldogs were local juniors and they were all keen to come back next season.

However, their focus is on this season and Coach Lynch won't be letting his players relax as there is still a job to do in season 2023.