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CANTERBURY veteran Josh Morris says he fully supports the idea of a mentoring program to ensure the Bulldogs’ culture lives on through the club’s younger generation.
Dogs chairman Ray Dib revealed last year a program involving former players mentoring the current crop was a work in progress, although it is yet to be implemented.
Dib’s revelation came in the aftermath of a dire end to season 2016 at Belmore, when the team lost four on the trot to be bundled out of finals in week one.
Over the space of a few months, club legends Terry Lamb and Steve Mortimer both publicly questioned the “culture” and “DNA” under coach Des Hasler.
Morris vehemently supports his coach and denies last year’s struggles were a result of a slip in club values.
But he would like to see former players such as Lamb and Mortimer engaged to help the next generation understand what it means to wear the famous blue and white.
“I haven’t heard much about that. But it’s not a bad idea,” Morris said of the proposed program when speaking to foxsports.com.au during pre-season.
“Coming to the club I learnt about the culture pretty early and it’s kept me in good stead.
“I think it’s good for the young players to learn a bit about the history and what the club is built on, and trying to represent those values as they go on with their careers at the Bulldogs.
“I’m not opposed to that idea. It’s good to have blokes like Baa (Lamb) around the club.
“He’s one of the main people you think about when you talk about the Bulldogs club, and if he can impart any knowledge onto those younger blokes or new blokes coming to that club, I think that’s good.”
Morris wouldn’t have a bar of the suggestion Hasler had let the club’s culture slip under his guidance since taking the reins in 2012.
In April, Lamb told The Sunday Telegraph he was concerned Hasler — who never played a game for Canterbury during his 289-game career — didn’t understand the club’s culture.
Then in October, Mortimer said publicly he feared the Bulldogs were losing their DNA under the premiership-winning coach.
Mortimer subsequently stepped aside from his role as club director when Hasler was guaranteed his position in 2017 by the board at an extraordinary meeting.
“The club’s really tight, we’ve stuck together. Dessy has the support of all the boys, we love him as a coach,” Morris said.
“Those last six weeks (of the 2016 season) were probably where the bulk of the comments came from.
“We didn’t play to our potential there and had we played the way we had in the middle of the season in those last six weeks I don’t think anyone would have been coming out saying those things.
“Everyone in the playing squad loves putting on that jersey and knows what it represents.
“That’s why we’re disappointed with how it ended, and the fans are too. They expect success year in year out, but there’s no one more disappointed than the players themselves.”
Hasler is right back in the headlines this week thanks to Canterbury’s 0-2 record to start the season.
He remains off-contract this year but told media a fortnight ago he is on the cusp of signing a new deal which will tie him to the club for a further two seasons.
Bulldogs players have stuck by their coach, who has led the club to finals every season he’s been in charge, including two grand finals.
“He’s pretty vital to the club and to what we’ve achieved in the past, and I think moving forward as well,” forward Josh Jackson said this week.
“It’s been a bit of a clunky couple of weeks to start but I’m ure once we get moving we’ll be fine.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...s/news-story/02c4570e63ad5bf381bddde548d9a0f2
Dogs chairman Ray Dib revealed last year a program involving former players mentoring the current crop was a work in progress, although it is yet to be implemented.
Dib’s revelation came in the aftermath of a dire end to season 2016 at Belmore, when the team lost four on the trot to be bundled out of finals in week one.
Over the space of a few months, club legends Terry Lamb and Steve Mortimer both publicly questioned the “culture” and “DNA” under coach Des Hasler.
Morris vehemently supports his coach and denies last year’s struggles were a result of a slip in club values.
But he would like to see former players such as Lamb and Mortimer engaged to help the next generation understand what it means to wear the famous blue and white.
“I haven’t heard much about that. But it’s not a bad idea,” Morris said of the proposed program when speaking to foxsports.com.au during pre-season.
“Coming to the club I learnt about the culture pretty early and it’s kept me in good stead.
“I think it’s good for the young players to learn a bit about the history and what the club is built on, and trying to represent those values as they go on with their careers at the Bulldogs.
“I’m not opposed to that idea. It’s good to have blokes like Baa (Lamb) around the club.
“He’s one of the main people you think about when you talk about the Bulldogs club, and if he can impart any knowledge onto those younger blokes or new blokes coming to that club, I think that’s good.”
Morris wouldn’t have a bar of the suggestion Hasler had let the club’s culture slip under his guidance since taking the reins in 2012.
In April, Lamb told The Sunday Telegraph he was concerned Hasler — who never played a game for Canterbury during his 289-game career — didn’t understand the club’s culture.
Then in October, Mortimer said publicly he feared the Bulldogs were losing their DNA under the premiership-winning coach.
Mortimer subsequently stepped aside from his role as club director when Hasler was guaranteed his position in 2017 by the board at an extraordinary meeting.
“The club’s really tight, we’ve stuck together. Dessy has the support of all the boys, we love him as a coach,” Morris said.
“Those last six weeks (of the 2016 season) were probably where the bulk of the comments came from.
“We didn’t play to our potential there and had we played the way we had in the middle of the season in those last six weeks I don’t think anyone would have been coming out saying those things.
“Everyone in the playing squad loves putting on that jersey and knows what it represents.
“That’s why we’re disappointed with how it ended, and the fans are too. They expect success year in year out, but there’s no one more disappointed than the players themselves.”
Hasler is right back in the headlines this week thanks to Canterbury’s 0-2 record to start the season.
He remains off-contract this year but told media a fortnight ago he is on the cusp of signing a new deal which will tie him to the club for a further two seasons.
Bulldogs players have stuck by their coach, who has led the club to finals every season he’s been in charge, including two grand finals.
“He’s pretty vital to the club and to what we’ve achieved in the past, and I think moving forward as well,” forward Josh Jackson said this week.
“It’s been a bit of a clunky couple of weeks to start but I’m ure once we get moving we’ll be fine.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...s/news-story/02c4570e63ad5bf381bddde548d9a0f2
