Pay ready to keep Dog from straying
HE’S been one of the few bright spots in Canterbury’s NRL season marked by disappointment and turmoil.
And now the Bulldogs have declared their desire to hold on to boom backrower and former Proserpine Brahmans junior Rhyse Martin.
The Bulldogs were given a boost yesterday when playmaker Lachlan Lewis re- signed for two years, but the club is facing a fight to hold on to Martin.
The 25- year- old has shown his class in his maiden seven appearances this year and notched a 24- point haul in the Bulldogs’ heartbreaking loss to Canberra, which was an individual record for a player in a losing side.
The goalkicking forward is offcontract at the end of 2018 and seeking a well- deserved upgrade.
Martin has toiled hard to work his way into the NRL limelight, having made his first serious steps with Townsville nursery Kirwan State High School.
He spent three seasons at the Sydney Roosters before returning to Townsville to play two seasons of Queensland Cup with the Blackhawks, before the Bulldogs recruited him at the end of 2016.
Coach Dean Pay said the Bulldogs, despite their salary cap problems, had begun talks to hold on to the North Queensland product.
“He needs to keep improving on what he’s doing,” Pay said.
“He’s come in and played some good football for us.
“For the last three to four weeks he’s put some good performances in.
“We’re going through those negotiations with him at the moment.” Martin is representative of the Bulldogs’ troubles as they seek to rebuild amid a salary cap squeeze.
For the next several years the club has been locked out of the market in terms of pursuing marquee players because a host of back- ended contracts, which were signed under the former administration, have come back to haunt them.
They must find value for money and invest heavily in youth.
“We’ve got to be really careful with who we buy and how much,” Pay said. “We’ve got spots that we need to fill and we’re working through that.”
Despite the club’s problems, the term rebuild sits uncomfortably with Pay.
He says there’s no reason the club can’t be competitive in the near future, pointing to the fact that seven of their 13 losses this year have been by six points or less. Asked how he would pitch the club to prospective talent, Pay says: “There’s a great opportunity. We’ve got a good base of senior players with Klem ( David Klemmer), Jacko ( Josh Jackson) and ( Aiden) Tolman and Adam Elliott.
“There’s an opportunity here if you want to play first grade.
“I’m not one for picking people on names, if they’re doing the job, they’ll get a start.”
Lewis, 21, has been solid in his three first- grade appearances since debuting last month and has been rewarded with a contract extension.
He is now set to contend with the likes of Jeremy Marshall- King and Newcastle signing Jack Cogger to partner Kieran Foran in the halves next year.