Both 2021 captain coach Cullen and star signing Ross were sidelined for much of the season with injury.

Kurri Kurri president Mick Alchin said it was great news for the club after a difficult year for both players.

Media reports earlier this month suggested Cullen had signalled he would be retiring, while Ross said he was keen to keep playing but whether that was at the Bulldogs or not was not decided.

"It's great news for the club and I think we would all love to see them have big years and show everyone in the comp just how good they are," Alchin said.

The Bulldogs have signed 2021 Newcastle Rebels coach Aaron Watts for the 2022 season.

Alchin said a number of players had indicated they wanted to return in 2022, but signatures had not been put to paper because of the Covid lockdown and the inability to hold face to face meetings.

A full stop was put on a disappointing season for the Bulldogs with the Newcastle RL cancelling the final round after the extension of the Covid lockdown across the Hunter.

Former Newcastle Knights back Ross had made comeback from a medical retirement in 2018 to play with good mates Cullen and Peter Cronin who moved back to the Bulldogs from the Pickers to play with the two.

Back-to-back calf tears, a one-week suspension and then a serious hamstring injury limited the 32-year-old's return at Kurri to just three games.

Ross returned for the Bulldogs in round 17 against South Newcastle on August 1.

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