Jack Hetherington will follow Trent Barrett to Canterbury after signing a two-year deal with the NRL club.
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Hetherington will link with current Penrith assistant coach at the club next season.
The Young product has played 23 NRL to date after making his debut with Penrith in 2018.
However six of his eight games this season were part of a loan deal with New Zealand Warriors.
It was a move that allowed the 24-year-old to play more regular first grade and his strong performances saw him peak interest from a number of NRL clubs.
However Hetherington elected to head to the Bulldogs, who are looking to rebuild under Barrett in 2021.
Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill was pleased that Hetherington had liked what the Bulldogs were building at Belmore.
"Having someone of Jack's ability want to be part of what we are building at Belmore is fantastic news for our members and fans," Hill told bulldogs.com.au.
"Jack is a quality young player who will add a great deal of starch to our forward pack and we believe that he will continue to develop under head coach Trent Barrett, who he has worked with in recent seasons.
"We are continuing to build out the depth in our squad and we believe that Jack will be a real compliment to the group of forwards that we have."
Hetherington will join Joe Stimson in the Bulldogs forward pack after the Temora junior missed most of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Penrith tackle South Sydney at ANZ Stadium on Saturday for a place in the NRL grand final.
Hetherington has been named in the extended team for the clash but isn't expected to move into the final 17.
His last game for the Panthers was in round 19 after his loan deal with the Warriors ended after a four-week suspension.
He had a year remaining on his deal with Penrith, but was granted permission to explore his options.
"Jack has been offered a significant opportunity at another NRL club and we believe he's earned the right to pursue that opportunity," Panthers general manager Matt Cameron said.
"Given the limited game time we've been able to offer him at Panthers, the decision to grant him an early release is the right one for everyone involved.
"We thank Jack for his service to our club and wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours."
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