Des Hasler future at Canterbury Bulldogs to be discussed at board meeting
BULLDOGS
Ennis slams 'horrendous' Dogs
2:27
THE BULLDOGS will hold a board meeting on Tuesday where the future of coach Des Hasler will be top of the agenda.
Some Bulldogs executives are adamant the meeting has been planned for eight months but other club insiders claim it has been specially-convened.
Two-time premiership-winning coach Hasler will make an appearance at the meeting.
Again, depending on who you talk to, there are varying reasons for Hasler making a presentation to the board.
Some claim the Bulldogs coach is facing an uncertain future, others say he has been locked in to make a presentation for the past four weeks.
The Bulldogs seem certain to miss the semi-finals for the first time since Hasler joined the club in 2012.
The backdrop to the Hasler debate is a football club board election coming up next February where there is talk of the current regime being rolled by a rival ticket.
If they punt Hasler, does the current football club regime survive?
What is not up for debate is a restless membership base who are demanding change at Belmore.
This is where there is immense pressure being applied to Hasler’s future.
LIVE stream every round 21 clash of the NRL premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial and start watching in minutes.
SIGN UP NOW>
The Bulldogs have had a shabby 2017 season.Source: News Corp Australia
It seems bizarre to be talking about Hasler being on shaky ground less than four months after he was given a two-year extension until the end of 2019.
Could the board who voted to reappoint him in April now opt to terminate his tenure?
Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib was overseas until last week and his return has led to immense debate at Belmore.
There is a school of thought among some at the Bulldogs that the style of football the NRL side is playing has become too rigid.
There is a view the players should be given the latitude to play what’s in front of them, at times.
Consider these numbers: The Bulldogs have won seven out of their last 22 matches. They have only managed one win from eight matches away from home this season.
Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Raiders recruitment manager Peter Mulholland to discuss an innovative new philosophy behind roster building.
You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app.
They have won two games out of ten against current top eight sides.
The Canterbury-Bankstown football club also enjoys one of the richest football department expenditures in the NRL, outlaying around $23 million per season to run the NRL side.
The Bulldogs came close to sacking Hasler at the end of last season when club legend Steve Mortimer issued them an ultimatum: “Des or me”.
Mortimer then stood down from the football club board when the Bulldogs opted to allow Hasler to remain as head coach.
But they insisted on a major shake-up amongst his support staff and attempted to somewhat dilute his dictatorial-style rein.
Interestingly, Mortimer remains a member of the powerful Leagues Club board, which writes the cheques for the Bulldogs NRL football department.
Bulldogs press conference
5:16
There are other influential champion Bulldogs players who are understood to be fed-up with Hasler’s six-year tenure at Belmore.
Even when Hasler was reappointed in April, there was a split among the football club board leading right up to his new deal being rubber-stamped.
Ultimately, the signatures of Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods helped the two-time premiership winner win a two-year extension for next year and 2019.
How much do the Bulldogs have to pay Hasler if they opt to part ways? Again, there’s two different versions depending on who you talk to.
One version has the Bulldogs up for around $1 million which would include the rest of this season’s contract and a payout for 2018 and 2019, which is capped.
The other version is between $600,000 and $800,000.
If they do decide to sack Des, whichever way the Bulldogs go, it’s going to be one hell of an expensive exercise.