As the last Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs halfback to steer the club to an NRL grand final, Trent Hodkinson knows firsthand how positional misalignment can derail a once-promising side. Now, he’s sounding the alarm on a familiar pattern unfolding at Belmore this season, one that mirrors the turbulence that forced him out of the club nearly a decade ago.
Hodkinson’s legacy with the blue-and-whites remains one of the club’s most celebrated recent chapters. In 2014, just months after he and halves partner Josh Reynolds broke Queensland’s long State of Origin winning streak, Hodkinson led the Bulldogs to the NRL’s ultimate decider. Their successful pairing was built on complementary strengths: Hodkinson served as the chief playmaker, controlling match tempo with a pinpoint kicking game, while Reynolds thrived in the five-eighth role, playing off instinct and creating opportunities with spontaneous play. The dynamic worked seamlessly—until a 2015 roster restructuring pushed Hodkinson out the door to make room for two five-eighths, Reynolds and Moses Mbye. The result was disastrous: in 2016, the Bulldogs posted the lowest point total of any top-eight side in the competition.
Today, Hodkinson sees the same problematic setup taking shape. Current Bulldogs playmakers Lachlan Galvin and Matt Burton are both natural five-eighths, in his assessment, and the lack of a dedicated, controlling halfback at the No.7 position has left the team’s attack adrift. Through the early part of the 2024 season, Canterbury has scored the second-fewest points of any club in the NRL, a statistic that echoes the 2016 slump.
NRL Immortal Andrew Johns has already publicly called for Galvin to shift permanently to five-eighth, a recommendation Hodkinson fully endorses. The former Bulldogs playmaker has thrown his support behind two candidates to fill the vacant halfback role: veteran experienced playmaker Sean O’Sullivan, who is already a member of the Bulldogs roster, and young up-and-comer Mitchell Woods, who is currently working his way back from injury.
“It reminded me of 2015 when it was myself, Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye, and three couldn’t go into two. I got pushed out of the club but I truly believe Moses and Josh were two five-eighths,” Hodkinson explained. “It’s a similar situation now. I know Lachie’s been playing seven and he played a really good game the other week against Penrith, but I feel like they’re very similar players. Toby Sexton, who left the club last year, was a genuine seven, and you’ve got O’Sullivan there who’s a genuine seven.”
Beyond naming O’Sullivan as an immediate option, Hodkinson is pushing for the club to give the talented 19-year-old Woods an opportunity at the top level. As a member of the coaching staff for New South Wales’ under-19s Origin side, Hodkinson has seen Woods’ ability firsthand, and says the young prospect fits the profile of a traditional game-controlling halfback the club desperately needs.
“I’m not the coach there and (Cameron) Ciraldo gets paid the big money to make the decisions, but I’d even like to see young ‘Woodsy’,” he said. “We had him last year in the 19s Origin team and he’s a genuine seven. I haven’t seen him too much the last 6-8 months with how he’s going physically, but he’d be more than capable to step up.”
Hodkinson also suggested Galvin, who has a large physical frame, could make a successful transition to lock if the club opts to bring in a dedicated halfback. He added that while Galvin turned in an impressive performance against the Panthers recently, the young playmaker needs to improve consistency to hold the No.7 role long-term.
Against the common modern argument that the halfback and five-eighth positions are interchangeable—just numbers on the back of a jersey—Hodkinson stands firm that the two roles remain distinct. “I still think they’re unique positions, I really do,” he said. “You’ve got to have that one dominant half and that guy that steers them around the field. They’re similar at times but I think they’re still separate positions. You’ve got a seven, a halfback, and you’ve got a six, a five-eighth. As much as they’re compared to being very similar, they’re still very different in a way.”
Woods, who turns 20 next month, faces ongoing speculation over whether he is mature enough for the intensity of NRL football. But Hodkinson argues that young playmakers can only prove their readiness at the top level by being given an opportunity to compete.
“You probably don’t know until you give them a crack and get out there and then they’ve just got to figure it out themselves,” he said. “I’m sure there’s plenty of eyes at the Dogs or at multiple clubs that know when these young fellas are ready to make the step. It’s exciting, there are some really good, talented young halves coming through and I’m excited to see how they all go.”
For now, the Bulldogs’ coaching staff led by Ciraldo holds the final call on how the club will resolve its halves puzzle, but Hodkinson’s warning echoes across Belmore: failing to address the current positional imbalance could lead to a repeat of the struggles that derailed the side nearly a decade ago.
