Bulldogs boss Phil Gould admits he will be “nervous” when Josh Addo-Carr makes his debut in new colours this weekend against the club that sacked him last year.
Addo-Carr was axed by Canterbury after the speedster found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs last year.
The 29-year-old swiftly signed with long-time rivals Parramatta on a multi-year deal, but is yet to play for the club due to his NRL suspension.
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That all ends on Sunday afternoon, however, with the Eels set to take on the Dogs.
Phil Gould speaks ahead of Josh Addo-Carr’s debut at the Eels. Nine/Getty
“Fastest man on the planet – we’ve got to watch him,” Gould told 9News.
“I’m always nervous with The Foxx, whether he’s playing for us or against us.
“We love The Foxx and it’s unfortunate the way things ended.”
Addo-Carr spent three seasons at Belmore and was one of the club’s biggest signings since Gould stepped into the general manager of football role.
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Canterbury will be without a host of stars for the round three fixture, with Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau both suffering knee injuries in the win over Gold Coast.
Gould believes the Dogs are well-placed to cover for the losses.
“We’re gonna miss those fellas in the next few weeks, but we’ll get them back,” he said.
“We’re a lot better depth wise than we were a few years ago. We’ve got some good young fellas coming through and I think the squad has plenty of depth and versatility.”
Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton left the field injured in round two. Nine
As for who will replace Burton in the No.6 jumper?
“You’ll have to ask the coach,” Gould quipped.
“He’s got plenty of options there, because we’ve got a lot of utility players and we cover a lot of positions.”
The news isn’t all so bad for the Bulldogs, with experienced utility Kurt Mann inking a fresh contract with the club until the end of 2026.
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