<h2>Canterbury Bulldogs 2025 Season Summary</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Ladder position:</strong> 3rd.</p> <p><strong>Wins: </strong>16.</p> <p><strong>Losses: </strong>8.</p> <p><strong>Draws:</strong> 0.</p> <p><strong>Biggest win:</strong> 42-2 vs Manly Sea Eagles in round 21.</p> <p><strong>Biggest loss</strong>: 44-8 vs The Dolphins in round 12.</p> <p><strong>Leading try scorer: </strong>Jacob Preston (11).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Early season premiership favourites Canterbury will be out to live up to that hype and attempt to get their hands on their first premiership in 21 years.</p> <p>Starting like a house on fire, the Doggies remained the only undefeated team left in the land up until round 8 when they ran into the Broncos in the rain.</p> <p>A lot of their success this season has been built solely on defence, with their leading try scorer actually a forward - Jacob Preston, who only just breached double digits across 27 rounds.</p> <p>Attack wins games, but defence wins championships as the old adage goes, but can the Bulldogs live up to that saying and defend their way to premiership glory? Only time will tell.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Canterbury Bulldogs Players to Watch</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Lachlan Galvin</h3> <p>Arguably the most talked about player in the NRL this season, all eyes will be on young Lachlan Galvin for the Bulldogs this finals series.</p> <p>Debate has raged since his controversial mid-season switch from the Tigers as to whether he has been a help or a hindrance to the Bulldogs and their title aspirations.</p> <p>While their regular season results certainly took a dive post signing Galvin, there’s no doubting he possesses a type of magic few other players in the game do. That’s exactly what you need in the big games when everything is on the line.</p> <p>Fans, pundits and punters alike will be watching eagerly to see if Lachlan can galvanise the Bulldogs to glory and so will we.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Jacob Preston</h3> <p>Touted as a future rep star, Jacob Preston has gone from strength to strength this season.</p> <p>Now in his third year as a first grader, Preston has well and truly announced himself as an elite back rower, both with and without the ball.</p> <p>A tough tackler and an ever-tougher line runner, Preston has crossed for 11 tries in 2025 to find himself atop of the Bulldogs season scoring stats. If the Bulldogs want to make a splash in September, Preston will need to cross for a few more four-pointers, particularly in the big moments.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Stephen Crichton</h3> <p>The Bulldogs signed Stephen Crichton precisely for moments like this. He joined the Blue and Whites in 2024 from Penrith as a four-time grand finalist and a three-time premiership winner.</p> <p>He knows more than most what it takes to seize success in September and with captain’s armband on his bicep, his side will be looking to him to lead the charge towards premiership glory.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Finals Preview – Why They Can Win It</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It’s important to remember there was a point between rounds 1 through 8, that the Bulldogs were the team to beat in the NRL.</p> <p>They simply couldn’t lose and teams were finding it near impossible to break them down defensively.</p> <p>If they can recapture this form and defensive grit, there’s no reason why they can’t grind their way to the Rugby League promised land.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Finals Preview – Why They Can’t Win It</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For all their early season success, the Bulldogs form of late has been less than desirable.</p> <p>In reality they are limping into the finals after losing three of their last four games, with their inability to lay on the points becoming a real cause for concern.</p> <p>Luckily they picked up so many points early doors that they managed to hang on to a place in the top four, which means they get an all-important double-chance, because they just might need it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Finals Prediction</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Think you have a good idea of how the Canterbury Bulldogs will fare this finals series? Check out our<a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/rugby-league/nrl-finals-stage-of-elimination/stage-of-elimination-canterbury-bulldogs-9593815"> Bulldogs’ stage of elimination market</a> where you can wager on whether they will go out in straight sets, the prelims, finish as runner up or win the whole thing.</p> <p>There’s also the<a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/rugby-league/nrl-finals-pick-9"> NRL Finals Pick 9</a> for those looking to pick the entire bracket for a specific team participating in the finals.</p> <p><strong>Predicted finish:</strong> Eliminated in the Semi-Finals.&nbsp;</p>