The sliding doors moment behind Dog’s rise... and how he’s following path of an Origin star

Connor Tracey’s last-ditch tackle to secure Canterbury victory over Canberra last week might have cast a new light on the 29-year-old for some NRL fans.

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But for higher-ups at Belmore, it simply confirmed what they’ve known for the past three seasons: the clutch moment encapsulated a man who simply refuses to give up.

The ever quiet and unassuming Tracey is relishing the opportunity to flourish under Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo in 2026.

Talks are about to begin on potentially extending Tracey’s future at the Bulldogs beyond this season, and the fullback is adamant his best is yet to come. Not that he’s letting any match-winning heroics become a distraction.

“Praise is a weird thing,” Tracey told foxsports.com.au.

“Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, I try and stay away from the spotlight. It can be enticing to pump yourself up but I do find that it doesn’t really help.

“I try to stay level; good game or bad game I’m just trying to get better. The accolades, and people saying nice things about you is great, but you can read too far into it and come Monday you’re going to be living in the past game.”

On face value, Tracey is the walking contradiction of a Bulldogs side that tends to have back-page magnetism coursing through it.

When the club carefully tip-toed around the drama of halfback Lachie Galvin joining its ranks last season, Tracey happily avoided the spotlight. Ditto in recent weeks, amid the ongoing Bronson Xerri fallout and continued speculation around who will make up the Doggies’ long-term spine.

And yet, following the Canberra performance – with 220 running metres, 56 post contact metres, three tackle breaks, a try and two incredible try saves – Tracey’s place in the star-studded Bulldogs line-up makes a little more sense.

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“I think the Bulldogs are set for a big year, not because they’ve got great players that can score points, but I think they’ve got the best defensive system off the back of last year,” said premiership-winning half and Fox League commentator Cooper Cronk.

Comparisons are now being made between Tracey and Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards, who has made a career as a dependable defensive cornerstone. Those within Bulldogs circles say the work ethic between the two custodians is strikingly similar: Tracey is regularly at the pointy end of Canterbury’s pre-season fitness tests (alongside halfback Lachie Galvin), will willingly put his body on the line in defence, and epitomises the side’s club-first, team-second, player-third mentality.

With Ciraldo a common thread between them, there’s merit in the parallel.

Tracey followed Ciraldo into the Bulldogs system at the end of 2023, following separate stints at Souths and then Cronulla, where his father Craig Tracey played for four seasons through the 1980s.

When Tracey signed, the Bulldogs hadn’t made a finals appearance in seven seasons.

“It wasn’t until Ciro became head coach at the Dogs, and I saw the type of players he was trying to get at the club and what he was implementing that I thought ‘if that opportunity comes up then it will be a good club to join’,” Tracey said.

After years being typecast as a utility player, Tracey was given his first shot as 18th man for the Dogs in the opening rounds of 2024. He was originally slated behind Blake Taafe in the pecking order, but when Taafe missed a week with concussion, Tracey eventually grabbed the fullback jersey and hasn’t looked back.

For Tracey, his breakthrough manifested both on and off the field.

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A cursory glance at a bookshelf in Tracey’s inner-city terrace offers a telling insight; on it lives a collection of mindset books, including the current go-to options on Tracey’s rotation, The Power of Now, and The Inner Game of Tennis. Between the dog-eared pages are important morsels of information that Tracey regularly revisits between games.

Staying grounded and present have been two key lessons.

“Every decision you make on a footy field is mindset related,” Tracey explains.

“Good play, bad play: if you can analyse what your mindset was, you’re going to be in a better place than if you’re not sure.”

According to Cronk, Tracey’s excellent defence will be a key driver in Canterbury rekindling the form that elevated the side to an early premiership favourite in 2025.

“It’s not a coincidence that the Dogs and Penrith are moving at the same rate this year because coach Cameron Ciraldo was the architect of the Penrith set-up,” Cronk explained.

“I think at the back end of last year, the Dogs sort of shifted their mindset or their DNA slightly to wanting to score more points and become a more attack-minded team and ultimately that’s what cost them in the back end of the year being smashed by Penrith in that final.

“So I don’t think Cameron Ciraldo is going to make the same mistake twice. I think he’s going to pick his best defensive team and Connor Tracey is wholehearted and he ultimately saved the game or won the game for the Dogs on the weekend with a tackle on Ethan Sanders.

“I think there’s a lot of other fullbacks in the game that have a bit more flair but there’s not too many other fullbacks that are better defensively.”

Tracey’s defensive strength isn’t exactly news to Ciraldo, who was eager to praise the custodian following his efforts in the nation’s capital.

“I thought the try saves were the only reason we won the game,” Ciraldo said of Tracey’s Canberra heroics.

“Tracey’s been working really hard at that and came up with a couple.”

Tracey intends to continually sharpen his own involvement in the Bulldogs’ attacking and defensive structures this year, admitting the way they bowed directly out of the finals in 2025 was a bitter pill to swallow.

While his attacking highlights are not in the same league as a Reece Walsh or Isaiah Iongi, Tracey takes comfort in playing alongside one of the most influential outside backs in the game, in his captain, Stephen Crichton, as well as his coach.

“He (Ciraldo) has been huge,” Tracey said.

“Every year he’s been helping me on this journey and we’ve got a great relationship. He coaches me very well and every week I’m going into the game with a really clear job. He’s been massive in that.”

Off contract at season’s end, Tracey recognises he has plenty to play for in the coming weeks. It’s understood negotiations between his management and the Bulldogs will kick off in earnest during April – and both sides are hopeful he will extend his stay at Belmore.

The Dogs’ clash against the Knights on Saturday presents as a perfect opportunity for Tracey to push his case once more. For him, his Canberra performance needs to become the new benchmark for 2026.

“It sounds clichéd but if you’re thinking about that stuff going into a game then you’re probably thinking about the wrong things,” he said of contract chatter.

“I’m sure it will get sorted, as these things normally do if you’re playing well.

“I’m always building my game, but in that Canberra game I had a few try saves and they’re an important part of my job. Also the attacking side of things will come along.

“I think there’s better to come. I’m getting older in my career but I’ve just recently nailed down a consistent first-grade level. Every year I’m getting better, and every week I’m trying to get better as well.”

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