The Bulldogs entered 2025 with the belief that this could be their year and for a while it looked like they may have been right.
Instead, it ended in frustration and lingering questions heading into next season.
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What were the highs and lows of the 2025 season?
A hot start suggested that a premiership push was realistic for Cameron Ciraldo's side. They were the last undefeated team and had cemented themselves on top of the ladder, brimming with confidence.
Their second-year captain Stephen Crichton was on pace to have one of the most remarkable seasons from a centre in NRL history.
The other ex-Penrith players that had followed Phil Gould and Ciraldo to Belmore had imposed their standards on the rest of the squad and the successes of 2024 didn't feel like a fluke, but the start of something special.
Then, in one of the most highly-scrutinised dramas of the 2025 campaign, they signed rising playmaker Lachlan Galvin. His mid-season acquisition was billed as the move that would push the Bulldogs to new heights.
While Toby Sexton hadn't lit up the stat sheet to that point, he'd been serviceable in his role as a game-managing halfback, getting his teammates around the park.
Gould and Ciraldo were gambling on this decision to pay off, by risking what they had already built for the promise of a generational no.7.
Around the same time, the coaching staff elected to drop Reed Mahoney back to the bench for the younger option in Bailey Hayward who was promoted into the starting lineup.
Both Galvin and Hayward have undeniable potential. At 20 and 24-years-of-age respectively, they've both flashed moments of brilliance in their young careers.
However, their introductions unsettled the spine that had carried Canterbury to the competition's summit.
Their results slipped, dropping them into the pack of other top-eight contenders as they struggled to regain fluency in their attack.
As the losses started to pile up, the noise from fans and experts alike grew louder. Many envision Galvin as a ball-running five-eighth or even a lock forward, not a traditional halfback.
Ciraldo resisted the calls to revert back to his original spine, prioritising the long-term development of his emerging superstars, but it arguably cost Canterbury a ring in 2025.
What is the Bulldogs' outlook for the future?
The Bulldogs stumbled into the finals, losing six of their last 11 matches in the regular season.
In Week 1 of the post-season, they ran into the Storm in Melbourne - a road-trip notorious for being a death-sentence for most teams in September - and lost 26-18.
In a cruel twist of fate, this set up a do-or-die matchup the following week with reigning premiers Penrith.
Despite the like-for-like play-styles, the 'Dogs were no match for a red-hot Panthers outfit who rolled them 46-26, ending their season in straight sets.
As they enter the off-season, Gould and Ciraldo are left with more questions than answers. Is Galvin ready to be an NRL halfback? Are they in a premiership window? Or, should they be prioritising development?
The Gould-Ciraldo relationship needs to be credited for how they've turned a struggling club around in such short order. However, until they produce a title, the 2025 season will be looked back on as a missed opportunity.
Canterbury has the roster, resources and belief now in the pathways that the new administration has put in place. But unless they figure out their spine, 2026 could be another year that gets away.