Canterbury have confirmed prop Dylan Napa and playmaker Lachlan Lewis are among 12 players who will exit the family club at the end of the 2021 NRL season.
The Bulldogs confirmed the mass exodus of players in their squad announcement for Sunday’s Round 25 clash against the Wests Tigers.
”The Bulldogs can also confirm that the following off-contract players will be leaving the club at the end of this season: Dylan Napa, Will Hopoate, Lachlan Lewis, Nick Meaney, Renouf Atoni, Sione Katoa, Dean Britt, Chris Smith, James Roumanos, Brad Deitz, Watson Heleta and Kiko Manu,” the statement read.
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Hopoate is heading to St Helens while Nick Meaney will join the Melbourne Storm on a two-year deal in 2022.
The future is less certain for the other 10 players who are set to be shown the door as part of new general manager Phil Gould’s mass cleanout.
Napa arrived at Belmore as a marquee signing on a three-year deal in 2019 after six seasons with the Sydney Roosters.
He is available to face the Tigers on Sunday but has been named 20th man and is unlikely to get a farewell game for the Family Club.
The 28-year-old has not received any concrete offers from NRL clubs but is likely to attract interest from multiple teams
Lewis, who is under investigation by the NRL Integrity Unit, faces a far more uncertain future and is fighting for his NRL career.
The Bulldogs will collect the wooden spoon on Sunday after winning two of 23 games in a disastrous 2021 campaign.
It is the fifth-straight season the Bulldogs have missed the NRL finals series.
Reinforcements are on the way with Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Tevita Pangai Junior, Matt Dufty, Paul Vaughan and Brent Naden all signed for 2022 and beyond.