Freddy Lussick is set to join the Canterbury Bulldogs next year on a two-year deal, with the 25-year-old's move now shaping the club's hooker picture well before he arrives. There is no chance of a transfer before the June 30 deadline, but the deal gives Canterbury a new option in the middle and adds pressure to the race for the No. 9 jersey.

The timing is no accident. Lussick is expected to be named at starting hooker for the Penrith Panthers against the Gold Coast Titans on June 20, only days after scoring two tries on the weekend. For a player who has managed 10 games for Penrith this year, it is a sharp reminder of how quickly his stock has risen at the right moment.

Lussick's path makes the move more notable. Since his NRL debut in 2020, he has moved through the Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra Dragons, the Warriors, the Panthers and now, soon, the Bulldogs, while struggling to lock down a club's main hooker role. Canterbury have been searching for more spark out of dummy half, and the signing gives them another attacking option behind incumbent Bailey Hayward.

That search explains why the Bulldogs have landed here after Phil Gould met with off-contract hooker Sam Verills at Magic Round. The interest in Verills signalled Canterbury were looking at their options, but the club has opted to make a move on Lussick instead, turning a casual meeting into competition for a position that has not yet been settled. Hayward remains in place for now, but the arrival of another hooker on a two-year deal will apply real heat to the spot.

For Penrith, the immediate question is how long Lussick keeps the job while the season runs on. Mitch Kenny's long-term leg injury in April opened the door, and Lussick has taken it with a weekend double and a starting assignment against the Titans. For Canterbury, the answer is already clearer: next year, they add a 25-year-old hooker who has been around the NRL long enough to know another chance may not come this clean again.