Jacob Kiraz has been ruled out for up to a month after suffering a foot injury during the Bulldogs’ Round 26 clash with the Panthers.
Danny Weidler from Channel 9 has reported scans revealed a mid-foot sprain for Kiraz along with small bone fractures that may take four weeks to recover from.
BREAKING: Not great news for Jacob Kiraz. Mid foot sprain and some small boney fractures . Will take up to 4 weeks to recover @9NewsSyd @NRLonNine
— Danny Weidler (@Danny_Weidler) August 29, 2025
The 23-year-old winger went down while contesting a short kick-off near the end of last night’s clash against the Panthers and was forced from the field, leaving the Bulldogs with a significant question mark in their backline.
The diagnosis now means Kiraz could miss the first two to three rounds of the NRL finals series in what is a huge blow for the Bulldogs’ premiership chances.
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Kiraz has been a standout for the Bulldogs this season, with his second-phase play, finishing ability, and high work rate making him an integral part of the Bulldogs’ performances.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo will now need to adjust his finals plans and consider alternatives, with Enari Tuala, Jethro Rinakama, and Blake Wilson among the options to cover his absence.
The Bulldogs secured a top-four finish for the first time since 2012, but losing Kiraz at such a crucial moment puts extra pressure on their squad depth over the next month.
The team will no doubt monitor his progress closely, hoping to have him available earlier in the finals series if he can recover quicker than anticipated.
The Bulldogs’ final regular-season match is against the Sharks next week before heading into a finals series with less than spectacular momentum.
Whilst it was a decisive win against the Panthers, considering the amount of players their opposition rested and how disjointed their attack looked at times, many believe they are still yet to reach their early-season form.
This has been a common theme across the past couple of months of football, and the Kiraz diagnosis is another dent in not just the Bulldogs’ consistency, but indeed their finals hopes and chances of lifting the trophy on grand final day.
The absence of their star winger will be felt even more now with pressure to build their Burton–Galvin halves combination and get the attack running smoother heading into September football.