NRL 2023: Introducing the possible Bulldogs fullback, Hayze Perham
January 31, 2023 Jason Oliver
Team lists are starting to trickle out ahead of the 2023 NRL season, and Hayze Perham is a name few expected to see at fullback for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
We’re at the stage of the NRL 2023 preseason where Round 1 lists are slowly starting to become clearer. Some players are locked in and we can confidently tip them to be there for the opener. However, every club has a positional battle that is yet to be decided.
The Gold Coast Titans spine is said to be locked in and I looked a little bit into that last week. More recently, and this is one few saw coming, Hayze Perham is expected to start at fullback for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs when their hotly-anticipated season kicks off.
While Jake Averillo isn’t a household name, I, for one, didn’t expect to see him unseated as the first-choice fullback. Not to start the NRL season, anyway. But with Michael Chammas at the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that “little-known recruit Hayze Perham first crack at the Bulldogs’ No.1 jersey in 2023,” excitement is building.
The 23-year-old has jumped between clubs, positions and grades since making his NSW Cup debut for the Warriors in 2018. He has since played 67 games at Cup level with his last two seasons at the Parramatta Eels. With only 16 NRL appearances in that time (9 for the Warriors and 7 for the Eels), he is still relatively inexperienced. However, with what I’ve seen from him – at the Warriors, especially – it won’t be a surprise to see him perform from day one and make the #1 jersey his all year.
Perham is a triple-threat fullback. He can run, pass or kick in behind, and with some consistency and cohesion at the position across multiple weeks, his decision-making on when to pull the trigger and with what weapon will only become clearer.
Perham is at his most dangerous running the ball. His footwork is electric and he can beat defenders off both feet. As mentioned already, he’s a triple threat. He holds the ball out in front to put the defender in their seat and takes what they give him.
Sit back and wait for cover, and Perham can beat the big forward inside for speed and a skip through the line.
Perham can add some spice to the Bulldogs attack as a ball-player, too. He has plenty of experience at five-eighth and the ball skills to boot, but as is the case from fullback, he’s at his best running the ball and using his footwork to beat and isolate defenders. With his ability to beat players one-on-one Perham creates opportunities outside him and has the pass to turn those opportunities into points.
There is nothing on when Perham catches the ball here, but with the space he is given and with his footwork, he’s able to box-up the two and three-in defenders which forces the winger to jam in leaving space for his centre to score in the corner.
To cap it all off, Perham has enough of a kicking game to roll the ball in behind a rushing defensive line to complete the treble: Run, pass and kick.
Perham has it all for a fullback on paper, he’s just needed an extended opportunity at the right place to put it all on display. Jake Averillo was expected by many to walk straight into the fullback jersey and would do with a similar skill set to the Kiwi, but Perham is the slightly bigger body. Averillo’s experience in the centres makes sense from a squad makeup perspective, too. Cameron Ciraldo obviously sees a lot in Perham and Averillo has become a key feature of the side. This is one way to ensure they both spend big minutes on the field.
Perham will come into the 2023 NRL season as a relative unknown, but if he stays healthy and plays the sort of football I think he’s capable of, he will finish up as one of the hottest young players in the game.
January 31, 2023 Jason Oliver
Team lists are starting to trickle out ahead of the 2023 NRL season, and Hayze Perham is a name few expected to see at fullback for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
We’re at the stage of the NRL 2023 preseason where Round 1 lists are slowly starting to become clearer. Some players are locked in and we can confidently tip them to be there for the opener. However, every club has a positional battle that is yet to be decided.
The Gold Coast Titans spine is said to be locked in and I looked a little bit into that last week. More recently, and this is one few saw coming, Hayze Perham is expected to start at fullback for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs when their hotly-anticipated season kicks off.
While Jake Averillo isn’t a household name, I, for one, didn’t expect to see him unseated as the first-choice fullback. Not to start the NRL season, anyway. But with Michael Chammas at the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that “little-known recruit Hayze Perham first crack at the Bulldogs’ No.1 jersey in 2023,” excitement is building.
Who is Hayze Perham?
Perham is a little-known recruit for most, but for many across the ditch, seeing him given a real opportunity in first grade is a long time coming.The 23-year-old has jumped between clubs, positions and grades since making his NSW Cup debut for the Warriors in 2018. He has since played 67 games at Cup level with his last two seasons at the Parramatta Eels. With only 16 NRL appearances in that time (9 for the Warriors and 7 for the Eels), he is still relatively inexperienced. However, with what I’ve seen from him – at the Warriors, especially – it won’t be a surprise to see him perform from day one and make the #1 jersey his all year.
Perham is a triple-threat fullback. He can run, pass or kick in behind, and with some consistency and cohesion at the position across multiple weeks, his decision-making on when to pull the trigger and with what weapon will only become clearer.
Perham is at his most dangerous running the ball. His footwork is electric and he can beat defenders off both feet. As mentioned already, he’s a triple threat. He holds the ball out in front to put the defender in their seat and takes what they give him.
Sit back and wait for cover, and Perham can beat the big forward inside for speed and a skip through the line.
Perham can add some spice to the Bulldogs attack as a ball-player, too. He has plenty of experience at five-eighth and the ball skills to boot, but as is the case from fullback, he’s at his best running the ball and using his footwork to beat and isolate defenders. With his ability to beat players one-on-one Perham creates opportunities outside him and has the pass to turn those opportunities into points.
There is nothing on when Perham catches the ball here, but with the space he is given and with his footwork, he’s able to box-up the two and three-in defenders which forces the winger to jam in leaving space for his centre to score in the corner.
To cap it all off, Perham has enough of a kicking game to roll the ball in behind a rushing defensive line to complete the treble: Run, pass and kick.
Perham has it all for a fullback on paper, he’s just needed an extended opportunity at the right place to put it all on display. Jake Averillo was expected by many to walk straight into the fullback jersey and would do with a similar skill set to the Kiwi, but Perham is the slightly bigger body. Averillo’s experience in the centres makes sense from a squad makeup perspective, too. Cameron Ciraldo obviously sees a lot in Perham and Averillo has become a key feature of the side. This is one way to ensure they both spend big minutes on the field.
Perham will come into the 2023 NRL season as a relative unknown, but if he stays healthy and plays the sort of football I think he’s capable of, he will finish up as one of the hottest young players in the game.