Howie B
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Canterbury players were spotted in a huddle holding an honesty session at the end of training after general manager Phil Gould delivered some blunt home truths on Tuesday.
As Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett made it clear on Thursday there were no issues with Gould coming in and running part of the field session this week, the players took it upon themselves to do their own soul-searching - without the coach and football manager.
The Herald watched several players stand in the rain and take turns addressing the group at one end of the field. Barrett and Gould were nowhere to be seen.
“We’re just trying to stick together through these tough times,” barnstorming back-rower Tevita Pangai jnr told the Herald when asked about the optics.
“We spoke as a group about what we can do. We had little defensive lapses [against Brisbane] we need to address. We need to be better.
“Gus has been tough on me. He wants more out of us leadership players.
“He’s been observing a lot of my game. I need to be better. We all need to be better.
“He wants [improvement] in the little effort areas in attack and defence, we need to be winning without the footy, just those off-the-ball efforts.
“When you see Penrith, they’re so good with their movement off the ball and their movement in defence. Their middles are always pressuring halves, which then gives the edges an easy [defensive] decision.
“That’s what winning clubs do. That’s what we’re building towards.
Canterbury players hold an honesty session on Tuesday.
“Gus does get [cranky]. But if I’m doing my job, hopefully those one-on-one chats don’t have to happen.”
Barrett has won just four games from his 31 in charge at the Dogs, and is not expected to add to that tally against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday.
Gould reportedly launched into a few players, including Kyle Flanagan, during a video session on Tuesday. He later ran part of the field session.
Some Bulldogs fans must have been wondering if Gould’s hands-on approach was the first sign of him undermining the under-pressure Barrett. Panthers supporters would have also cast their minds back to Gould doing something similar before Ivan Cleary left the first time around, followed by his successor Anthony Griffin.
A frustrated Gould was surprised by the attention and told Wide World Of Sports late Wednesday: “They were a bit sluggish to start the week and I said to Trent they needed a liven-up. He threw me his whistle. I was wearing jeans. It was a bit of fun and something different for the players. Not sure that my 1980s approach will change the world, but it was fun.
“I would do anything Trent asked me to do.”
Barrett on Thursday said the players knew exactly who was coach, and asked “why wouldn’t I use the resource of Phil Gould at the club?’.
“He is the GM of football and a very good premiership-winning coach,” Barrett said.
“The boys know who the coach is,” Barrett said.
“Gus doesn’t interfere with any tactical things. He will give an opinion and give an opinion to me. That’s his job.
“If I think a different voice can help the team at a certain stage, why wouldn’t I? I’d be silly not to.
“I have someone like [former All Blacks coach] Steve Hansen here who will be back from Japan in a few months. He’s a resource we have and I’m going to use him.”
As Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett made it clear on Thursday there were no issues with Gould coming in and running part of the field session this week, the players took it upon themselves to do their own soul-searching - without the coach and football manager.
The Herald watched several players stand in the rain and take turns addressing the group at one end of the field. Barrett and Gould were nowhere to be seen.
“We’re just trying to stick together through these tough times,” barnstorming back-rower Tevita Pangai jnr told the Herald when asked about the optics.
“We spoke as a group about what we can do. We had little defensive lapses [against Brisbane] we need to address. We need to be better.
“Gus has been tough on me. He wants more out of us leadership players.
“He’s been observing a lot of my game. I need to be better. We all need to be better.
“He wants [improvement] in the little effort areas in attack and defence, we need to be winning without the footy, just those off-the-ball efforts.
“When you see Penrith, they’re so good with their movement off the ball and their movement in defence. Their middles are always pressuring halves, which then gives the edges an easy [defensive] decision.
“That’s what winning clubs do. That’s what we’re building towards.
Canterbury players hold an honesty session on Tuesday.
“Gus does get [cranky]. But if I’m doing my job, hopefully those one-on-one chats don’t have to happen.”
Barrett has won just four games from his 31 in charge at the Dogs, and is not expected to add to that tally against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday.
Gould reportedly launched into a few players, including Kyle Flanagan, during a video session on Tuesday. He later ran part of the field session.
Some Bulldogs fans must have been wondering if Gould’s hands-on approach was the first sign of him undermining the under-pressure Barrett. Panthers supporters would have also cast their minds back to Gould doing something similar before Ivan Cleary left the first time around, followed by his successor Anthony Griffin.
A frustrated Gould was surprised by the attention and told Wide World Of Sports late Wednesday: “They were a bit sluggish to start the week and I said to Trent they needed a liven-up. He threw me his whistle. I was wearing jeans. It was a bit of fun and something different for the players. Not sure that my 1980s approach will change the world, but it was fun.
“I would do anything Trent asked me to do.”
Barrett on Thursday said the players knew exactly who was coach, and asked “why wouldn’t I use the resource of Phil Gould at the club?’.
“He is the GM of football and a very good premiership-winning coach,” Barrett said.
“The boys know who the coach is,” Barrett said.
“Gus doesn’t interfere with any tactical things. He will give an opinion and give an opinion to me. That’s his job.
“If I think a different voice can help the team at a certain stage, why wouldn’t I? I’d be silly not to.
“I have someone like [former All Blacks coach] Steve Hansen here who will be back from Japan in a few months. He’s a resource we have and I’m going to use him.”
