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Brad Fittler says he expects Phil Gould to put 'everyone on notice' at the Bulldogs
By Marc Churches - 2 hours ago
Brad Fittler says Phil Gould won't be hesitant to shake things up at the Bulldogs
Rugby league great Brad Fittler says he expects newly appointed Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould to put "everyone on notice" when he first walks through the doors.
In one of the biggest new signings for the club in recent times, it was revealed last week Canterbury had successfully lured Gould, who had spent the past year with the Warriors as a consultant.
Prior to his stint with the Warriors, Gould famously spent eight years between 2011-2019 with the Panthers as their General Manager of Football. He had a huge hand in developing the current Penrith roster due to his involvement in revamping the club's development pathways.
While Gould was instrumental with the crop of young talent who are now regular starters for the Panthers, including the likes of Blues duo Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, he also wasn't afraid to let players go, which is where Fittler believes the former Penrith boss will start.
"The way the Bulldogs are going, absolutely [I rate the move]," Fittler told Wide World of Sports' The Final Whistle.
Phil Gould talks with coach Ivan Cleary during a Penrith Panthers NRL training session at Sportingbet Stadium on April 15, 2014 (Getty)
"He (Gould) has an opportunity to sit back and look for a while, listen, and see what's going on.
"Everyone talks about how they (Bulldogs) have got problems with their rooster and their salary cap, they're huge jobs and it's something he did out in Penrith.
"He had to make some really tough decisions where he moved some of their leaders on, Matt Moylan moved on and there were some others. But all of the leadership out of that group moved on at the same time."
Gould's ruthless club-first approach was a hallmark of his time at Penrith. He famously allowed local juniors and Origin stars Luke Lewis and Michael Jennings to depart the club during his tenure.
"We never want to have to go through the pain of allowing a Luke Lewis, Michael Jennings, Lachlan Coote and Tim Grant to have to leave the club... But that's been a necessity and decisions that have been made in the best long-term interests of the club," said Gould in a recent Sunday Telegraph interview.
Phil Gould opens up on his decision to join the Bulldogs
But Gould was also unafraid to remove coaches, having replaced Ivan Cleary at the end of 2015 with Anthony Griffin before the latter was shown the door during the middle of the 2018 seasondespite being in finals contention.
Following Griffin's departure, Cleary, who was under contract with the Tigers, joined Penrith in 2019.
"Gus will make big decisions and he will run with his gut instinct," Fittler added.
"He puts them (players) on notice and staff. When he walks in, he puts them on notice.
"He moved Ivan on and it probably wasn't the most favourable decision... he moved Hook (Anthony Griffin) on as well just after he re-signed him.
"So, he's happy to make a big call and as I said, he puts everyone on notice and that will sharpen everyone up."
Join Joey and Freddy as they chat to Tigers' star Adam Doueihi after their win over the Broncos. The boys also discuss Gus back to the Dogs, Mitch Moses at Origin and the Hub situation in the NRL.
Gould's storied history in rugby league as a player, coach, commentator, writer and administrator is well documented.
He was just 30 when he guided the Bulldogs to a title as coach in 1988 before adding another premiership ring to his hand in 1991 with Penrith. He's also the most successful NSW Blues coach in history with six Origin series wins.
Discussing the signing with Fittler, rugby league immortal Andrew Johns said the Bulldogs made the correct decision by bringing Gould in.
"It's tremendous [the signing]," Johns said.
"My time in rugby league, he was one of the smartest minds. Not only as a coach but as an administrator.
"Look what he did out at Penrith, they were on their knees.
"Sensational. Great for the game and great for the Bulldogs."
Nrl
By Marc Churches - 2 hours ago
Brad Fittler says Phil Gould won't be hesitant to shake things up at the Bulldogs
Rugby league great Brad Fittler says he expects newly appointed Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould to put "everyone on notice" when he first walks through the doors.
In one of the biggest new signings for the club in recent times, it was revealed last week Canterbury had successfully lured Gould, who had spent the past year with the Warriors as a consultant.
Prior to his stint with the Warriors, Gould famously spent eight years between 2011-2019 with the Panthers as their General Manager of Football. He had a huge hand in developing the current Penrith roster due to his involvement in revamping the club's development pathways.
While Gould was instrumental with the crop of young talent who are now regular starters for the Panthers, including the likes of Blues duo Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, he also wasn't afraid to let players go, which is where Fittler believes the former Penrith boss will start.
"The way the Bulldogs are going, absolutely [I rate the move]," Fittler told Wide World of Sports' The Final Whistle.
"He (Gould) has an opportunity to sit back and look for a while, listen, and see what's going on.
"Everyone talks about how they (Bulldogs) have got problems with their rooster and their salary cap, they're huge jobs and it's something he did out in Penrith.
"He had to make some really tough decisions where he moved some of their leaders on, Matt Moylan moved on and there were some others. But all of the leadership out of that group moved on at the same time."
Gould's ruthless club-first approach was a hallmark of his time at Penrith. He famously allowed local juniors and Origin stars Luke Lewis and Michael Jennings to depart the club during his tenure.
"We never want to have to go through the pain of allowing a Luke Lewis, Michael Jennings, Lachlan Coote and Tim Grant to have to leave the club... But that's been a necessity and decisions that have been made in the best long-term interests of the club," said Gould in a recent Sunday Telegraph interview.
Phil Gould opens up on his decision to join the Bulldogs
But Gould was also unafraid to remove coaches, having replaced Ivan Cleary at the end of 2015 with Anthony Griffin before the latter was shown the door during the middle of the 2018 seasondespite being in finals contention.
Following Griffin's departure, Cleary, who was under contract with the Tigers, joined Penrith in 2019.
"Gus will make big decisions and he will run with his gut instinct," Fittler added.
"He puts them (players) on notice and staff. When he walks in, he puts them on notice.
"He moved Ivan on and it probably wasn't the most favourable decision... he moved Hook (Anthony Griffin) on as well just after he re-signed him.
"So, he's happy to make a big call and as I said, he puts everyone on notice and that will sharpen everyone up."
Join Joey and Freddy as they chat to Tigers' star Adam Doueihi after their win over the Broncos. The boys also discuss Gus back to the Dogs, Mitch Moses at Origin and the Hub situation in the NRL.
Gould's storied history in rugby league as a player, coach, commentator, writer and administrator is well documented.
He was just 30 when he guided the Bulldogs to a title as coach in 1988 before adding another premiership ring to his hand in 1991 with Penrith. He's also the most successful NSW Blues coach in history with six Origin series wins.
Discussing the signing with Fittler, rugby league immortal Andrew Johns said the Bulldogs made the correct decision by bringing Gould in.
"It's tremendous [the signing]," Johns said.
"My time in rugby league, he was one of the smartest minds. Not only as a coach but as an administrator.
"Look what he did out at Penrith, they were on their knees.
"Sensational. Great for the game and great for the Bulldogs."
Nrl
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