Phil Gold urges Canterbury fans to be patient as he assures them that the Bulldogs will once again become an NRL powerhouse and hints at a huge roster overhaul ahead of the 2024 season.
Proud Belmore club Rock is at the bottom, with Trent Barrett stepping down as coach this week as the team’s formidable form on the field dragged him into another season.
The dogs have not been seen in the NRL Finals since 2016 and have been back on the ladder every season since. They are the shadow of the team that played the grand finals in 2012 and 2014.
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Des Hasler took the club to that height but then the team began to deteriorate under his watch before he left in 2017.
He replaces Barrett as Dean Pay, and now the Belmore board is looking for a fourth coach in five years.
“The Bulldogs are a big club. They have a huge fanbase and the club has been in recession for years,” Gold Wide, the club’s football general manager, told World of Sports. Six tackles with gas Podcast
“Losing this year is not out of the ordinary for them. It has gotten worse over time. They have won just three games in 2020, they have won only three games in 2021.”
Gold came to Belmore last year with a task – to revive the club and make the NRL team a premiership contender once again.
Fans are disappointed that the team is once again at the bottom of the competition ladder – the final nail in the coffin of Har Barrett near Newcastle last week.
Gold was asked what was needed to turn their fortunes around?
“Time, and hard work, and development,” he said.
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“I would say it’s a journey down the mine, a difficult time in the club’s history.
“I know it was frustrating, but you can’t fix it just by waving a magic wand. It took a long time to get to this point.
“To fix this for the future, what most clubs have done in this situation, and what the Bulldogs have done is to get them out of trouble … and sometimes frustrating recruits just to win a few games and get the media off their backs. For.
“That’s not the way to fix the club, you have to take a long-term view of it. It’s like saying, ‘OK, I know you’ve lost for a long time, but there’s going to be more’ before we get better. ‘
“It’s true. Whether people are willing to accept it or not, it’s true.
“My goal is for the Bulldogs to never be in that position again. The club should never be in that position.
“That’s my goal. When my time at the Bulldogs is over, they will never have to endure it again. They will have a recruitment and development program that will sustain them for a long time to come.”
Bulldogs recruits have exploded in Newcastle’s loss days.
For a long time, Canterbury has been accused of spending too much money on second tier players or players who do not affect the outcome of the game.
Gold has personally overseen the recruitment of William Kikau, Reed Mahoney and Ryan Sutton, who will join the club next season.
He says while the Bulldogs ’pay cap isn’t perfect right now, things are looking pink for the 2024 season.
“I can tell you about the pay cap for 2024, which is now just 18 months away, with only five or six players on our contracts,” he said.
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“So our pay caps are really in very good shape. Not right at the moment, but in 18 months we have the opportunity to completely redesign the culture of the Bulldogs, the Bulldogs.”
In addition to going to the market and buying stars, Gold is busy setting up programs in Belmore that will keep the team healthy for next year.
“What we’re seeing is … setting up an academy system that will provide a steady stream of young talent coming to senior positions there for a long time to come,” Gold said.
“It wasn’t in place, it was neglected for a long time, so we have some players who are showing NRL potential in the junior rankings, but nowhere close enough.
“I had to go out – and I was active – interviewing parents and players. I was in Brisbane on the weekends … and interviewing 15 families with young boys between the ages of 18 and 21 that I think are likely to happen. NRL must be listed by 2024.
“I want an academy that starts at the age of 14, 15, 16 for local talents and other talents that we hire to develop as bulldogs from a young age.
“We have a lot of money and a lot of positions to fill for 2024. So we only got five or six in the contract and we have a lot of money.
“From 2024 I think that’s where we really get some momentum and start. I think we’re in great shape if people are patient.”
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