Freddy Lussick lands two-year Bulldogs deal

Freddy Lussick has signed a two-year deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs and will move to Belmore next year. The 25-year-old hooker is set to finish this season with Penrith before the switch, with no chance of an early move before the June 30 deadline.

Bulldogs add Lussick

The signing gives the Bulldogs another hooker option as they keep shaping their spine for next season. Bailey Hayward is the incumbent at dummy half, but Lussick arrives after spending time in four other NRL systems and still chasing a permanent first-choice role.

Lussick made his NRL debut in 2020 and has struggled to lock down a club’s main hooker job since then. For Canterbury, that history is the point: the club is buying a player who has already been through multiple systems and now gets a longer runway than the one-year deal he signed with Penrith after an early release from the Warriors.

Panthers role before Belmore

He has played 10 games for the Panthers this year and scored two tries on the weekend, a sharp return for a player who has stepped up after Mitch Kenny suffered a long-term leg injury in April. Lussick is also expected to be named at starting hooker for Penrith against the Gold Coast Titans on June 20.

That run matters because it shows why the Bulldogs moved now rather than waiting for the market to settle. Phil Gould met off-contract hooker Sam Verills at Magic Round, but Lussick brings a different profile: a 25-year-old who has already been tested inside a premiership system and is available on a longer-term deal.

For Canterbury, the immediate issue is selection pressure at dummy half. Hayward keeps the No. 9 role for now, yet Lussick’s arrival next year gives the club a clearer contest for the spot and a more defined attacking option out of dummy half. That is the kind of signing that can change how a coach builds the middle of the field before a ball is kicked.