bad news, canterbury bankstown bulldogs head coach just confirmed dead in…….
Canterbury rugby league legend and premiership-winning NRL coach Steve Folkes has died aged 59, reportedly from a heart attack.
Folkes, who also played in four Canterbury premiership-winning sides during the 1980s, coached the Bulldogs between 1998 and 2008 and took them to their last title in 2004.
“Steve played such a major part in the history of the Bulldogs, both as a player and coach, and was without doubt one of the giants of the club,” chief executive Andrew Hill said.
As a player, Folkes was regarded as a hard-training back-rower who appeared in six grand finals for the Bulldogs, including their 1980, 1984, 1985 and 1988 successes.
He also played five Tests for Australia and nine State of Origins for NSW between 1986 and 1988 to go with his 245 games for the Bulldogs.
He moved into Canterbury’s coaching ranks, taking the side to the 1998 NRL grand final in his first season in charge before claiming the title six years later.
During his 11 seasons at the helm he coached players like Johnathan Thurston, Steve Price, Hazem El Masri, Andrew Ryan and Sonny Bill Williams.
He also formed part of one of the Bulldogs’ most famous families, marrying the late daughter of Peter ‘Bullfrog’ Moore, Karen.
Most recently, he coached the Australian women’s rugby league side – The Jillaroos – between 2014 and 2016, and was set to coach the Moss Vale Dragons in Group Six country rugby league this year.Mitchell Woods signs a contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs. (Source: Bulldogs media)
Talented young gun Mitchell Woods has confirmed his future, signing a long-term, four-year contract extension with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The youngster’s deal will see him train with a fulltime deal at the Bulldogs during 2024 as part of his development contract, before moving into the Top 30 from the start of the 2025 season, where he will remain for three years.
Under a development deal, Woods will be eligible for junior competitions, including the SG Ball (under-19) and Jersey Flegg (under-21), as well as the NSW Cup, as well as the NRL from Round 1, with rules changes under the latest collective bargaining agreement. Development deals are also now called suplementary deals.
He eventually elected to sign with the Bulldogs and switch permanently to rugby league though, having captained the club’s Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) side in 2023.
He also has excelled in rugby union.
Woods is a halfback, and won player of the match honours in this year’s Harold Matthews Cup grand final.
