The 2020 season will see Josh Jackson enter his ninth year in the NRL and the much-loved member of the team delivered great news to the clubs’ loyal supporters just prior to Christmas with a contract extension for a further three seasons.
The hard-working back rower arrived at Canterbury at the end of 2009, where he transitioned into the club’s under 20s teams over the next two seasons.
He earned an NRL debut in 2012 when the Bulldogs tackled the Melbourne Storm in Mackay and the Gulgong Terrier has never looked back.
Since his debut and outside of rep games, the 29-year old has only missed one club game through suspension over a career of 181 appearances.
As a player who prides his performances on consistency and leading from the front, loyalty is the key for Jackson:
“I didn’t really want to speak to any other clubs because this is where I've wanted to be. The club’s been fantastic for me and the family. All the opportunities that I've got in footy and in life have come through the club's loyalty to me, so I want to pay that back and I want to bring the club a lot of success,” said Jackson.
Jackson appreciates club's loyalty
Loved by the members and fans, Jackson took over as captain from James Graham in 2018, and despite not appearing in the finals series over the past two seasons, the 2019 Clubman of the Year knows the future is bright for the Belmore based club.
“I can see where we’re going in the future. It’s all really positive and I want to be a part of it. I want to help lead the club and the boys and be a part of success in the future. I can see real positive signs for this year and the next couple,” he added.
The positive signs were on show across the back end of the 2019 season when the Bulldogs claimed seven wins from their final 10 matches with one of the youngest squads in the NRL.
The club heads into the 2020 season with a roster that has an average age of 20, as well as an average of 64 NRL games across the list and while a host of the players are in the early stages of their career, the emergence of the likes of Nick Meaney, Lachlan Lewis, Reimis Smith and Jeremy Marshall-King are wonderful signs for the club.
“The guys that only started out their careers a few years ago now have played 40, 50, 60 games and are starting to play real consistent footy. That’s great signs for us and the club and where we are heading. I’m really excited for the future.”
He doesn’t say a lot the skipper, he is not about the fanfare, he is humble and loves the Bulldogs.
“They’ve always looked after me and the family, been very loyal and I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
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