Phil Gould comes online as Bulldogs football manager as of Monday, with 13 off-contract players and a dozen open roster spots his first priority. Gould's return to the club he coached to a title more than 30 years ago begins via Zoom due to Sydney's latest COVID-19 outbreak, and there is no clear answer on when he will actually meet Canterbury players face-to-face. Critical calls on several of their futures will likely come before then. As well as having nearly half of Trent Barrett's top-30 roster unsigned beyond this season (only South Sydney has more than the Bulldogs 13 off-contract top squad members), Canterbury will look to bring talks with Tevita Pangai jnr to a head in coming days.