Bulldogs hit by player exodus as second forward in two weeks reportedly quits NRL club

Canterbury have now seen three players quit the club this season.

Fletcher Baker has reportedly become the second forward to quit the Bulldogs in two weeks and has made an immediate move to Manly. The 26-year-old signed with Canterbury in the off-season after spending two years at the Broncos.

However he hasn’t managed to break into the first-grade team at the Bulldogs and has been toiling away in NSW Cup. On Tuesday the ‘League Unlimited’ and ‘League Scene’ accounts both reported that Baker has left the Bulldogs immediately to join Manly.

Cameron Ciraldo and Phil Gould at the Bulldogs.

Baker will reportedly play for the Sea Eagles’ NSW Cup team this weekend. Tellingly, the No.10 position for Manly’s team has been left blank.

The ‘League Unlimited’ account wrote: “Canterbury forward Fletcher Baker has abruptly left just six months after joining the Belmore club. He’s been picked up by Manly and will line up at prop for their NSW Cup side this Saturday against the Rabbitohs.”

Yahoo Sport Australia has contacted the Bulldogs for comment.

Fletcher Baker during a Broncos training session in 2024.

Baker played 45 NRL games for the Roosters from 2021 to 2023, before 14 for the Broncos across 2024 and 2025. He’ll provide the Sea Eagles some much-needed depth in the front row and could be called upon if Kobe Hetherington or Ethan Bullemor are selected to play for Queensland in State of Origin.

Three players have quit the Bulldogs this season

Baker’s exit is the second in two weeks for the Bulldogs, after Daniel Suluka-Fifita quit to sign with St Helens in the Super League. Like Baker, Suluka-Fifita struggled to crack the Bulldogs’ first-grade side.

Suluka-Fifita will replace Matty Lees at St Helens, with Lees signing to join the PNG Chiefs from 2028. St Helens head coach Paul Rowley said: “On behalf of everybody at the club, I’d like to welcome Daniel to St Helens, and we look forward to seeing him in the Red V. After a difficult run with injuries has stretched the squad this season, it’s great to bring in a player of Daniel’s quality and character.”

The Bulldogs have suffered a player exodus of sorts this year, with teenage fullback prodigy David Bryenton also quitting the club in April. Bryenton starred for Keebra Park High School as they won the National Schoolboys Cup in 2025, and then signed a development deal with the Bulldogs. But he quit the club in the pre-season to return to Queensland.