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Fresh details have emerged of the pay dispute between Canterbury and Des Hasler after court documents revealed the former coach had the potential to earn close to $3 million over the two seasons of his deal with the club.
Hasler and the Bulldogs are currently locked in a legal battle in the NSW Supreme Court after the club sacked him last year, only a matter of months after the parties had signed a heads of agreement on a new two-year deal. That heads of agreement has now become the subject of a legal bunfight that threatens to involve some of the biggest names in rugby league, with Hasler and his legal team arguing that the negotiations over a new deal culminated in a valid and binding agreement with respect to his appointment as head coach for 2018 and 2019.
The parties are due to head back to court this month, having failed to agree on a settlement through mediation. According to a commercial list statement lodged with the NSW Supreme Court earlier this month, the terms and conditions of Hasler’s contract contemplated he be paid $1.2 million by way of salary, entitlements and remuneration each season for 2018 and 2019. Hasler also stood to receive a fully maintained motor vehicle including a petrol card for the life of his deal, as well as team performance bonuses to be calculated and paid by the club on an annual basis.
Furthermore, the club would reimburse Hasler any reasonable expenses and pay him a sum of $100,000 plus GST to compensate for his payment to his agent for negotiating the deal. All told, Hasler’s deal had the potential to push him towards $3 million depending on the club’s performances over the two years he would have been in charge.
The documentation also includes intimate details of the meetings between the parties that led to a heads of agreement being struck between Hasler and the club. The initial meeting took place on April 3 last year at the Pullman Hotel between Hasler, his manager George Mimis, former Bulldogs chair Ray Dib and ex-chief executive Raelene Castle, now the head of Rugby Australia.
At that meeting, Hasler’s legal team argued that Hasler and Dib signed a document entitled heads of agreement. Over the next two days there were further talks between Dib and Mimis before another meeting took place at the club’s headquarters in Belmore on April 5. On that day, Hasler’s legal team say Hasler and Dib signed a further version of the document signed two days earlier.
Hasler argues that heads of agreement signed on April 3 represented a legally binding document. He says the document signed two days later was a valid contract.
The Bulldogs opted to change their path months later as the club laboured, informing Hasler in a letter on September 19 they were repudiating the contract. The Bulldogs have denied the heads of agreement was a legally binding contract.
Hasler’s legal team have subpoenaed coaching contracts at a number of rival clubs, its reasons twofold. It is understood they are seeking clarity over deals involving the likes of Melbourne’s Craig Bellamy and Brisbane’s Wayne Bennett to illustrate what elite coaches are worth on the open market.
They are also seeking contract details around several other coaches as they look to demonstrate that Hasler could have found an alternative position had Canterbury made a decision to sack him earlier in the year. The Dragons and Panthers were among the clubs believed to be pondering whether to retain Paul McGregor and Anthony Griffin when Hasler was in the midst of his coaching turmoil at the Bulldogs.
Hasler has been out of work since parting ways with the Bulldogs late last year, although he recently expressed an interest in coaching the New Zealand national side. Hasler subsequently withdrew from the race for the Kiwis job citing his desire to once again coach in the NRL.
It is understood the parties have attempted to settle the matter but have been unable to find common ground, leaving the courts to sort out a messy saga that could ultimately cost the Bulldogs a seven-figure payout.
The club’s current administration, led by chair Lynne Anderson and chief executive Andrew Hill, were not involved in the talks with Hasler and can take solace in the fact that any payout would likely be covered by the affluent Canterbury League Club. However, the club could also be forced to carry the figure in its football club cap, creating potential restrictions on spending moving forward.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/63b0e1dab9bb07063a160df1f224bebd
Hasler and the Bulldogs are currently locked in a legal battle in the NSW Supreme Court after the club sacked him last year, only a matter of months after the parties had signed a heads of agreement on a new two-year deal. That heads of agreement has now become the subject of a legal bunfight that threatens to involve some of the biggest names in rugby league, with Hasler and his legal team arguing that the negotiations over a new deal culminated in a valid and binding agreement with respect to his appointment as head coach for 2018 and 2019.
The parties are due to head back to court this month, having failed to agree on a settlement through mediation. According to a commercial list statement lodged with the NSW Supreme Court earlier this month, the terms and conditions of Hasler’s contract contemplated he be paid $1.2 million by way of salary, entitlements and remuneration each season for 2018 and 2019. Hasler also stood to receive a fully maintained motor vehicle including a petrol card for the life of his deal, as well as team performance bonuses to be calculated and paid by the club on an annual basis.
Furthermore, the club would reimburse Hasler any reasonable expenses and pay him a sum of $100,000 plus GST to compensate for his payment to his agent for negotiating the deal. All told, Hasler’s deal had the potential to push him towards $3 million depending on the club’s performances over the two years he would have been in charge.
The documentation also includes intimate details of the meetings between the parties that led to a heads of agreement being struck between Hasler and the club. The initial meeting took place on April 3 last year at the Pullman Hotel between Hasler, his manager George Mimis, former Bulldogs chair Ray Dib and ex-chief executive Raelene Castle, now the head of Rugby Australia.
At that meeting, Hasler’s legal team argued that Hasler and Dib signed a document entitled heads of agreement. Over the next two days there were further talks between Dib and Mimis before another meeting took place at the club’s headquarters in Belmore on April 5. On that day, Hasler’s legal team say Hasler and Dib signed a further version of the document signed two days earlier.
Hasler argues that heads of agreement signed on April 3 represented a legally binding document. He says the document signed two days later was a valid contract.
The Bulldogs opted to change their path months later as the club laboured, informing Hasler in a letter on September 19 they were repudiating the contract. The Bulldogs have denied the heads of agreement was a legally binding contract.
Hasler’s legal team have subpoenaed coaching contracts at a number of rival clubs, its reasons twofold. It is understood they are seeking clarity over deals involving the likes of Melbourne’s Craig Bellamy and Brisbane’s Wayne Bennett to illustrate what elite coaches are worth on the open market.
They are also seeking contract details around several other coaches as they look to demonstrate that Hasler could have found an alternative position had Canterbury made a decision to sack him earlier in the year. The Dragons and Panthers were among the clubs believed to be pondering whether to retain Paul McGregor and Anthony Griffin when Hasler was in the midst of his coaching turmoil at the Bulldogs.
Hasler has been out of work since parting ways with the Bulldogs late last year, although he recently expressed an interest in coaching the New Zealand national side. Hasler subsequently withdrew from the race for the Kiwis job citing his desire to once again coach in the NRL.
It is understood the parties have attempted to settle the matter but have been unable to find common ground, leaving the courts to sort out a messy saga that could ultimately cost the Bulldogs a seven-figure payout.
The club’s current administration, led by chair Lynne Anderson and chief executive Andrew Hill, were not involved in the talks with Hasler and can take solace in the fact that any payout would likely be covered by the affluent Canterbury League Club. However, the club could also be forced to carry the figure in its football club cap, creating potential restrictions on spending moving forward.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/63b0e1dab9bb07063a160df1f224bebd
