Hazem El Masri

Arguably one of the greatest Bulldogs of all, in his 14 seasons of first-grade football, Hazem El Masri (Bulldog no.605) holds the distinction of being the Club's highest point scorer (2418), highest try scorer (159) highest goal scorer (891) and most capped first-grade player (317). 

He also became just the fourth player in first-grade history to reach the 2000 point mark - joining fellow Bulldog sharpshooter Darryl Halligan (2034), Jason Taylor (2107) and Andrew Johns (2176).

Alongside fellow Bulldogs Hall of Famer Steve Folkes, El Masri is the only other player in Club history to feature in over 300 Club games.

Arriving in Australia from Lebanon at the tender age of ten, El Masri quickly fell in love with the game of Rugby League, crediting his kicking prowess to his background in soccer. 

Joining the Club in 1995 as a  fullback, a 19-year-old El Masri quickly cemented himself as a regular member of the Under 21s side, before making his first-grade debut the following season on the wing. 

His first instance of record breaking came in 1998 after scoring the most tries in a reserve grade season en route to the Premiership. 

El Masri solidified his spot in the Bulldogs' first-grade side in 1999, holding the wing position for the next 11 seasons. 

Following the retirement of Daryl Halligan, 'El Magic' took over the goal kicking duties on a full-time basis in 2001. He would go on to tie the Kiwi sharpshooter's record for most points in a season (270) while equalling Chris Anderson's records Club record for most tries in a season (19). 

His legend continued to grow the following season; he featured in every game, topped the competition's point scoring, became the third Bulldog to score 100 Club tries, usurped Paul Langmack's record of 94 consecutive games and represented Australia in his sole Test as a Kangaroo.

After being awarded Life Membership of the Football Club in February of 2003, El Masri's golden boot continued to create history; he recorded the most points in an NRL season in 2003 (294) and became the first player to score 300 points in a season in 2004 with 342. 

He then laid claim to the most consecutive goals kicked (35) before breaking fellow Hall of Famer Terry Lamb's Club record for most tries.

Arguably his most famous moment came in the 2004 NRL Grand Final, where he scored the match-winning try - his 100th in first-grade - and kicking two goals in the 16-13 victory.

Season 2005 saw El Masri break further records, clearing Halligan's record for most points for the Club and most points in first-grade, while tallying 174 consecutive first-grade games for the Club.

In a testament to his endurance, he featured in every game in the 2006 NRL season, and for a fourth time, was the competition's leading point scorer (296), maintaining an impressive 86% strike rate with the boot.

His four tries and nine goals against the Wests Tigers in Round 2 marked yet another milestone; his 34 points being the most scored by an individual in a single match for the Bulldogs. 

July 4, 2007 proved to be another important date in El Masri's career, where he made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium, with his 10 points from three conversions and a try helping the Blues to an 18-4 victory in Game III. 

In total, El Masri's career saw him play;

• 18 Jersey Flegg games (or equivalent)
• 30 Reserve Grade games (or equivalent)
• Seven World Club Challenge games (including Super League matches)
• 317 first-grade games

He posted 194 tries, kicked 901 goals for a total of 2578 points in 372 Club games for the Blue and White. 

In 2009, his final season in first-grade, El Masri became the NRL's all-time leading point scorer in Round 1 after a perfect seven goals from seven attempts in the 34-12 win over Manly, tallying 2184 points. 

His status as a beloved clubman and community leader saw 41,835 Members and supporters farewell El Masri in his final home match at ANZ Stadium as the Bulldogs disposed of the Warriors, 40-20. 

While the fairytale send off was not to be, El Masri's time in Rugby League came to a close in his 317th and final first-grade game for the Bulldogs in the 2009 Preliminary Final in front of a crowd of 74,529. 

Following his glittering career, he was named in the Bulldogs' Team of the Decade as part of the Club's 80-Year Anniversary celebrations on August 1, 2015.  

On February 11, 2025 as part of the Club's 90-Year Anniversary Gala Night, El Masri was deservedly named in the Bulldogs' Hall of Fame alongside Steve Folkes and Johnny Greaves.

"Early on I had to build the foundation...build a rhythm that I was comfortable with, so that I could produce every time. I think I overdid it; I wanted to succeed so badly; I was hungry for success."

Hazem El Masri