SO SAD: bulldogs head coach announced his departure and…

At last, the NRL is back! The Canterbury Bulldogs defeated the Melbourne Storm 24–12 to start the preseason in style.

Like every preseason game, the narratives surrounding the games are more important than the final score.

Here are all the major talking points from Belmore on Thursday night, including a star making a comeback to the Bulldogs’ spine and young players putting on a show.

It’s Ryan Papenhuyzen again.
Of all the happy endings to the trials, Ryan Papenhuyzen’s return, provided it occurred within the pre-season challenge, was always going to be one.

And yesterday night it did just that.

His ball running was excellent; he set up a try early on and then used a change of pace to score a try of his own while pursuing a kick through the Bulldogs’ defense.

Although it was by no means a flawless performance, it was a great comeback for a guy who has only made a few appearances off the bench at the NRL level since August 2022, and he can only get better.

He wasn’t leading the charge in what might have been some news for supercoach or fantasy football players, but it will be far down his priority list as he works to reclaim the team’s top jersey—a role Nick