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CANTERBURY coach Des Hasler remains confident he will ink an extension to stay at the Bulldogs, despite the intense scrutiny placed on him in the past week.
The club’s board will meet on Thursday, just hours before the side’s massive clash with Brisbane at ANZ Stadium, and it’s expected Hasler’s future will be high on the agenda.
Hasler has long been pushing for a two-year deal to stay at the club, however the pressure has ramped up on the veteran coach since Saturday’s 36-0 flogging at the hands of Manly.
But, undeterred by the talk, he insisted he wanted to stay at Belmore after taking the side to every finals series since his arrival in 2012.
“We’re working through that and hopefully have it ratified pretty soon,” Hasler said.
“The board have been really supportive over my tenure. We’re very well resourced here. We’ve just got to win some footy games.
“I’ve been here five years and put a lot of hard work, as have others, into the club. And built quite a good outfit here. I definitely want to stay here.”
Live stream the Bulldogs’ round five clash with the Broncos on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week FOXTEL PLAY trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW!
The Bulldogs have won just one of their past eight games, in a streak dating back to the end of last season, and are 13th after just one victory in the opening month.
And while Hasler accepted that such media scrutiny was just “part of the game”, he argued it was unfair to take into account his record at the end of last season.
“It’s a pretty boring stat and it’s one that’s thrown up all the time,” he said.
“We just lost our way with possession at the end of last year. But that’s last year, I think that’s been done to death.”
Hasler put last week’s performance down to a “bad day”, but said he had been impressed with his side in the opening three weeks.
The two-time premiership coach has seen his football department slashed by what he labelled “budget cuts” over the off-season.
His long-time assistant Kelly Egan and recruitment boss Noel Cleal were among the departures, but Hasler said it had “fairly little impact” on the side.
Likewise, he wasn’t concerned about the potential impact that the mounting speculation, or Thursday’s board meeting, would have on the Broncos clash.
“It’s not an issue,” he said. “It’s pretty well removed.
“It’s not going to have any impact on the 34 players who go out there and play on Thursday night.”
The Bulldogs have lost halfback Moses Mbye to suspension for a shoulder charge for the Brisbane clash, with debutant Matthew Frawley named in his place.
The former Canberra under-20s captain has travelled with the side in recent weeks and is seen as a well-equipped organiser, a different style of player to the explosive Mbye.
“He’s been training well,” Hasler said. “He’s ready for this moment, it’s his chance, he’ll step up.”
Brad Abbey will also take over goalkicking in place of Mbye. Meanwhile the eighth-placed Broncos are unchanged from the side that beat Canberra 13-12 last Friday.
STATS THAT MATTER:
— The Bulldogs have the worst attacking record in the NRL, with 54 points.
— Brisbane have won five of their past seven against the Bulldogs.
— Anthony Milford, who plays his 100th NRL game on Thursday, is averaging five tackle busts per game — his highest of any season.
The club’s board will meet on Thursday, just hours before the side’s massive clash with Brisbane at ANZ Stadium, and it’s expected Hasler’s future will be high on the agenda.
Hasler has long been pushing for a two-year deal to stay at the club, however the pressure has ramped up on the veteran coach since Saturday’s 36-0 flogging at the hands of Manly.
But, undeterred by the talk, he insisted he wanted to stay at Belmore after taking the side to every finals series since his arrival in 2012.
“We’re working through that and hopefully have it ratified pretty soon,” Hasler said.
“The board have been really supportive over my tenure. We’re very well resourced here. We’ve just got to win some footy games.
“I’ve been here five years and put a lot of hard work, as have others, into the club. And built quite a good outfit here. I definitely want to stay here.”
Live stream the Bulldogs’ round five clash with the Broncos on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week FOXTEL PLAY trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW!
The Bulldogs have won just one of their past eight games, in a streak dating back to the end of last season, and are 13th after just one victory in the opening month.
And while Hasler accepted that such media scrutiny was just “part of the game”, he argued it was unfair to take into account his record at the end of last season.
“It’s a pretty boring stat and it’s one that’s thrown up all the time,” he said.
“We just lost our way with possession at the end of last year. But that’s last year, I think that’s been done to death.”
Hasler put last week’s performance down to a “bad day”, but said he had been impressed with his side in the opening three weeks.
The two-time premiership coach has seen his football department slashed by what he labelled “budget cuts” over the off-season.
His long-time assistant Kelly Egan and recruitment boss Noel Cleal were among the departures, but Hasler said it had “fairly little impact” on the side.
Likewise, he wasn’t concerned about the potential impact that the mounting speculation, or Thursday’s board meeting, would have on the Broncos clash.
“It’s not an issue,” he said. “It’s pretty well removed.
“It’s not going to have any impact on the 34 players who go out there and play on Thursday night.”
The Bulldogs have lost halfback Moses Mbye to suspension for a shoulder charge for the Brisbane clash, with debutant Matthew Frawley named in his place.
The former Canberra under-20s captain has travelled with the side in recent weeks and is seen as a well-equipped organiser, a different style of player to the explosive Mbye.
“He’s been training well,” Hasler said. “He’s ready for this moment, it’s his chance, he’ll step up.”
Brad Abbey will also take over goalkicking in place of Mbye. Meanwhile the eighth-placed Broncos are unchanged from the side that beat Canberra 13-12 last Friday.
STATS THAT MATTER:
— The Bulldogs have the worst attacking record in the NRL, with 54 points.
— Brisbane have won five of their past seven against the Bulldogs.
— Anthony Milford, who plays his 100th NRL game on Thursday, is averaging five tackle busts per game — his highest of any season.
