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In July last year Phil Gould shot down reports he was set to return to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
At that point of the season the Bulldogs had won just one of their opening 10 games and former head coach Dean Pay paid the price.
Gould rubbished claims he would be the man to restore glory at Belmore but went on to set a challenge for whoever was tasked with that role.
“The Bulldogs are our biggest club in Sydney,” he told 2GB’s Continuous Call Team at the time.
“They need to start acting like the Bulldogs because right at the moment they’re not.”
Fast-forward to 2021 and on Friday it was confirmed he has officially joined the Bulldogs as general manager of football.
Those strong words from almost one year ago will now stick with Gould as a constant reminder of what he demanded of his former club and now will be used as a measure of his success.
The reality though is that the Bulldogs had already made several attempts to lure Gould to Belmore to no avail.
It was only once the club hit an all-time low earlier this year that a phone call was made and the Bulldogs’ rebuild scored its biggest signing yet.
Here foxsports.com.au reveals the “flashpoint” behind Gould’s switch to the Bulldogs and the four key areas to determined his success.
THE ‘FLASHPOINT’ BEHIND IT ALL
Gould had been approached by the Bulldogs before but he was committed to his job as a consultant at the Warriors.
That quickly changed.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant Gould could not travel to New Zealand to actually be there in person to oversee the development of pathways systems.
“It’s a long story because I’d actually had an approach initially from the Bulldogs before Magic Round,” Gould told Channel Nine on Friday night.
“At the time I politely declined it because I was committed to what the Warriors were doing and what my role was there, and I’d spoken to the Warriors owner Mark Robinson, who’s a tremendous man.
“And I’d been feeling guilty, because of COVID the things that I wanted to do at the Warriors were just impossible to do.”
Gould went on to explain that it was “just getting too hard” and that he spoke to Warriors owner Mark Robinson, who agreed it would best for him to work closer to home.
For so long though it looked like the Bulldogs would not get their man but after a 66-0 loss to Manly they simply had to try once more with The Australian’s Brent Read telling Triple M it was a “flashpoint” in the pursuit.
An offer was made to Gould 24 hours before the official announcement and by Friday night the Bulldogs landed their largest coup yet.
Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Brent Naden and Matt Dufty are on the way to Belmore in 2022 but Panthers great Mark Geyer says Gould’s signature trumps them all.
“They’ve made some good signings in Burton and the Foxx but their best is him by far,” he told Triple M.
“I can’t see any cons from him going there, I can’t find any negatives.”
It has been five years since the Bulldogs made the finals but Gould’s arrival signals a return to the post-season is not far away.
There are four areas in particular that Gould will make a difference.
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Speaking on Friday night, Gould said that his immediate concern would be addressing the current roster as it stands - and there is no-one better to do it.
“Right at the moment, our priority is to make the best of what we’ve got at the moment, to make sure the young fellas that are on our roster and playing at the Bulldogs get the opportunity to be the best that they can be and then we’ll take it from there,” he told Channel Nine.
“There’s already been a lot of hard work done at the Bulldogs club that you probably don’t see.
Flanagan's "future in jeopardy at Dogs" | 02:57
“Financially for licensed clubs it’s been a tough time with close downs last year and they’re closed down again, so whilst they’re strong financially we’ve got to be careful about that.
“The salary cap is looking good and there’s opportunities to make changes over the next few years, if they need to make changes to the roster, but all that will happen as times goes on.”
If Bulldogs fans have any concerns over Gould’s ability to address the strengths and weaknesses of a roster they only have to look to his role in the Penrith rebuild.
Gould left the Panthers in 2019 but had already left a considerable mark by that point.
He oversaw the departures of a host of big names including Michael Jennings, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, James Roberts, Jamie Soward, Bryce Cartwright and Matt Moylan.
Gould did not get all of those decisions right - Lewis and Graham would have proven invaluable leaders for the club during its rebuilding stage.
For the rest though the Panthers saw the need to instead put their faith in the next crop of young talent.
The Bulldogs have been on an aggressive recruitment drive in the past year but they are not finished, linked to Tevita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan most recently.
Panthers great Ryan Girdler says the club’s chances of securing any potential recruit will immediately improve with Gould’s appointment.
“Gus is also another guy that when Trent Barrett sits down at the table with potential suitors to come over and he’s got Gus sitting next to him, that adds a fair bit of weight to the conversation,” he said.
Read, meanwhile, pointed towards Gould’s connections in the rugby league world as another reason to be optimistic about the club’s recruitment and retention from this point.
Loose Bronco a 'wasted talent' | 00:49
“We all know how intelligent Gus is, how connected he is,” he said.
“Particularly in the football department there has been no real direction it seems in recent years and Gus is the ideal bloke for that.
“No-one knows footy better than Gus, no-one is more connected, no-one is more knowledgeable. He’s basically been given the keys to Belmore.
“I think the Bulldogs are on the cusp of something. They’ve signed some really good footballers for next year. They are heading in the right direction and Gus just tops it off.”
DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS
Gould’s greatest achievement at Penrith though lived on long after he left.
Before Ivan Cleary’s arrival as head coach, just 20 per cent of the Panthers squad was made up of local products under Matt Elliott.
By 2018 though before Gould’s departure the following year that had increased to 80 per cent.
That success found its roots in the junior grades and quickly led to consistent results at the top grade.
Penrith had claimed two National Youth Competition premierships. They also won the New South Wales Cup in 2014.
Further down the line, the Panthers also qualified for back-to-back SG Ball Grand Finals.
Moylan and Soward left but in Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai Penrith had been developing its long-term solution for years.
Gould now plans to do similar at Belmore.
“They’ve got a good strong junior league, obviously it’s not as big as Penrith’s junior league but participation is key,” Gould told Channel Nine.
“We’ve got to get kids playing the game and enjoying the game, girls too, the girls’ game is exploding everywhere, we’ve got to make sure that’s a part of our club as well.
“Whatever’s in the local area we’ll support it and develop it and we’ll increase participation and we’ll set up development pathways in our club.
“We want kids to come to us young and learn the Bulldog way and be a part of the Bulldogs culture.”
The Panthers are also currently tasting the success of pathways that stretch far out into Central New South Wales, with Matt Burton, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin a few products from those pathways.
“I would imagine too that there’s opportunity in the country areas for the Bulldogs to have a role in nurturing kids from those areas as well,” Gould added.
Key to Penrith’s success under Gould was the building of a $20 million rugby league academy and Girdler expects the supremo to eye a similar plan at the Bulldogs.
“Putting together funding for things like the centre of excellence and those pathways are crucial and obviously they don’t have an area quite as big as Penrith, probably doesn’t have as many junior clubs to work with,” Girdler said.
COACHING CONFIDENCE
One of the only concerns to come out of Gould’s arrival though was the impact it would have on Barrett.
The power struggle between Gould and Cleary caused tensions at Penrith during his reign but this is no cautionary tale.
Gould and Barrett have a long-standing relationship from Origin land and Geyer said that the Bulldogs coach would welcome the extra hand.
“Having been coached by Gus for a few seasons, he’s got the best footy brain I’ve ever been around,” he said.
Geyer also went on to point out that Gould’s disciplinary approach should help the Bulldogs avoid any off-field dramas.
Trent Barrett will work well with Phil Gould. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Players won’t step out of line when Gus is there,” he said.
“He’s known for his discipline and he has an aura. That’s exactly what the Bulldogs need.”
Regardless of how high-profile you were, Gould was always willing to make the tough calls even if they made him unpopular in the short-term.
Consider the example he made of Jennings, who was on $650,000 a year and yet made to hand out 2000 free tickets at a Panthers game after turning up to training with alcohol in his system.
“This is why Gus is the best,” Geyer said.
“Look what he did to Michael Jennings way back when he made him walk around the field and humiliated him in front of the home crowd and when you’ve done something wrong at the club.”
The tussle for power was not the only issue brought up.
Gould himself actually urged Barrett to reconsider his Bulldogs job amid “toxic” infighting claims.
That won’t be a problem this time around though.
BOARDROOM POLITICS
When Gould branded the Bulldogs a “toxic” environment, that was prior to Lynne Anderson, Paul Dunn and John Ballesty stepping down.
That came after members and sponsors moved an extraordinary general meeting to demand changes at board level.
“That was a real issue because Gus has been critical of the club in the past, I think he called it toxic last year and advised Trent Barrett not to take the job at one point,” Read said.
“There’s obviously some political upheaval there or there always seems to be. I think he’s got some safeguards in his deal that protect him, depending on what happens with board elections but John Khoury the chair has done a pretty good job there I reckon.
“He’s brought some stability to the place and I think Gus shows the club is moving in the right direction. I think the members would be pretty happy Gus is there now.”
Legends laud Bulldogs' business | 01:39
Happy may be an understatement though.
Gould may be a divisive figure but his results speak for themselves.
23 of Penrith’s current top 30 either made their debuts at the Panthers or have come through the systems and are on the cusp of a first-grade call-up.
Within the space of a few years Gould had spearheaded a revival that transformed the Panthers into top-eight threats and now they are premiership heavyweights.
Hiring Gould could have the Bulldogs on a very similar path.
www.foxsports.com.au
At that point of the season the Bulldogs had won just one of their opening 10 games and former head coach Dean Pay paid the price.
Gould rubbished claims he would be the man to restore glory at Belmore but went on to set a challenge for whoever was tasked with that role.
“The Bulldogs are our biggest club in Sydney,” he told 2GB’s Continuous Call Team at the time.
“They need to start acting like the Bulldogs because right at the moment they’re not.”
Fast-forward to 2021 and on Friday it was confirmed he has officially joined the Bulldogs as general manager of football.
Those strong words from almost one year ago will now stick with Gould as a constant reminder of what he demanded of his former club and now will be used as a measure of his success.
The reality though is that the Bulldogs had already made several attempts to lure Gould to Belmore to no avail.
It was only once the club hit an all-time low earlier this year that a phone call was made and the Bulldogs’ rebuild scored its biggest signing yet.
Here foxsports.com.au reveals the “flashpoint” behind Gould’s switch to the Bulldogs and the four key areas to determined his success.
THE ‘FLASHPOINT’ BEHIND IT ALL
Gould had been approached by the Bulldogs before but he was committed to his job as a consultant at the Warriors.
That quickly changed.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant Gould could not travel to New Zealand to actually be there in person to oversee the development of pathways systems.
“It’s a long story because I’d actually had an approach initially from the Bulldogs before Magic Round,” Gould told Channel Nine on Friday night.
“At the time I politely declined it because I was committed to what the Warriors were doing and what my role was there, and I’d spoken to the Warriors owner Mark Robinson, who’s a tremendous man.
“And I’d been feeling guilty, because of COVID the things that I wanted to do at the Warriors were just impossible to do.”
Gould went on to explain that it was “just getting too hard” and that he spoke to Warriors owner Mark Robinson, who agreed it would best for him to work closer to home.
For so long though it looked like the Bulldogs would not get their man but after a 66-0 loss to Manly they simply had to try once more with The Australian’s Brent Read telling Triple M it was a “flashpoint” in the pursuit.
An offer was made to Gould 24 hours before the official announcement and by Friday night the Bulldogs landed their largest coup yet.
Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Brent Naden and Matt Dufty are on the way to Belmore in 2022 but Panthers great Mark Geyer says Gould’s signature trumps them all.
“They’ve made some good signings in Burton and the Foxx but their best is him by far,” he told Triple M.
“I can’t see any cons from him going there, I can’t find any negatives.”
It has been five years since the Bulldogs made the finals but Gould’s arrival signals a return to the post-season is not far away.
There are four areas in particular that Gould will make a difference.
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Speaking on Friday night, Gould said that his immediate concern would be addressing the current roster as it stands - and there is no-one better to do it.
“Right at the moment, our priority is to make the best of what we’ve got at the moment, to make sure the young fellas that are on our roster and playing at the Bulldogs get the opportunity to be the best that they can be and then we’ll take it from there,” he told Channel Nine.
“There’s already been a lot of hard work done at the Bulldogs club that you probably don’t see.
Flanagan's "future in jeopardy at Dogs" | 02:57
“Financially for licensed clubs it’s been a tough time with close downs last year and they’re closed down again, so whilst they’re strong financially we’ve got to be careful about that.
“The salary cap is looking good and there’s opportunities to make changes over the next few years, if they need to make changes to the roster, but all that will happen as times goes on.”
If Bulldogs fans have any concerns over Gould’s ability to address the strengths and weaknesses of a roster they only have to look to his role in the Penrith rebuild.
Gould left the Panthers in 2019 but had already left a considerable mark by that point.
He oversaw the departures of a host of big names including Michael Jennings, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, James Roberts, Jamie Soward, Bryce Cartwright and Matt Moylan.
Gould did not get all of those decisions right - Lewis and Graham would have proven invaluable leaders for the club during its rebuilding stage.
For the rest though the Panthers saw the need to instead put their faith in the next crop of young talent.
The Bulldogs have been on an aggressive recruitment drive in the past year but they are not finished, linked to Tevita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan most recently.
Panthers great Ryan Girdler says the club’s chances of securing any potential recruit will immediately improve with Gould’s appointment.
“Gus is also another guy that when Trent Barrett sits down at the table with potential suitors to come over and he’s got Gus sitting next to him, that adds a fair bit of weight to the conversation,” he said.
Read, meanwhile, pointed towards Gould’s connections in the rugby league world as another reason to be optimistic about the club’s recruitment and retention from this point.
Loose Bronco a 'wasted talent' | 00:49
“We all know how intelligent Gus is, how connected he is,” he said.
“Particularly in the football department there has been no real direction it seems in recent years and Gus is the ideal bloke for that.
“No-one knows footy better than Gus, no-one is more connected, no-one is more knowledgeable. He’s basically been given the keys to Belmore.
“I think the Bulldogs are on the cusp of something. They’ve signed some really good footballers for next year. They are heading in the right direction and Gus just tops it off.”
DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS
Gould’s greatest achievement at Penrith though lived on long after he left.
Before Ivan Cleary’s arrival as head coach, just 20 per cent of the Panthers squad was made up of local products under Matt Elliott.
By 2018 though before Gould’s departure the following year that had increased to 80 per cent.
That success found its roots in the junior grades and quickly led to consistent results at the top grade.
Penrith had claimed two National Youth Competition premierships. They also won the New South Wales Cup in 2014.
Further down the line, the Panthers also qualified for back-to-back SG Ball Grand Finals.
Moylan and Soward left but in Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai Penrith had been developing its long-term solution for years.
Gould now plans to do similar at Belmore.
“They’ve got a good strong junior league, obviously it’s not as big as Penrith’s junior league but participation is key,” Gould told Channel Nine.
“We’ve got to get kids playing the game and enjoying the game, girls too, the girls’ game is exploding everywhere, we’ve got to make sure that’s a part of our club as well.
“Whatever’s in the local area we’ll support it and develop it and we’ll increase participation and we’ll set up development pathways in our club.
“We want kids to come to us young and learn the Bulldog way and be a part of the Bulldogs culture.”
The Panthers are also currently tasting the success of pathways that stretch far out into Central New South Wales, with Matt Burton, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin a few products from those pathways.
“I would imagine too that there’s opportunity in the country areas for the Bulldogs to have a role in nurturing kids from those areas as well,” Gould added.
Key to Penrith’s success under Gould was the building of a $20 million rugby league academy and Girdler expects the supremo to eye a similar plan at the Bulldogs.
“Putting together funding for things like the centre of excellence and those pathways are crucial and obviously they don’t have an area quite as big as Penrith, probably doesn’t have as many junior clubs to work with,” Girdler said.
COACHING CONFIDENCE
One of the only concerns to come out of Gould’s arrival though was the impact it would have on Barrett.
The power struggle between Gould and Cleary caused tensions at Penrith during his reign but this is no cautionary tale.
Gould and Barrett have a long-standing relationship from Origin land and Geyer said that the Bulldogs coach would welcome the extra hand.
“Having been coached by Gus for a few seasons, he’s got the best footy brain I’ve ever been around,” he said.
Geyer also went on to point out that Gould’s disciplinary approach should help the Bulldogs avoid any off-field dramas.
Trent Barrett will work well with Phil Gould. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Players won’t step out of line when Gus is there,” he said.
“He’s known for his discipline and he has an aura. That’s exactly what the Bulldogs need.”
Regardless of how high-profile you were, Gould was always willing to make the tough calls even if they made him unpopular in the short-term.
Consider the example he made of Jennings, who was on $650,000 a year and yet made to hand out 2000 free tickets at a Panthers game after turning up to training with alcohol in his system.
“This is why Gus is the best,” Geyer said.
“Look what he did to Michael Jennings way back when he made him walk around the field and humiliated him in front of the home crowd and when you’ve done something wrong at the club.”
The tussle for power was not the only issue brought up.
Gould himself actually urged Barrett to reconsider his Bulldogs job amid “toxic” infighting claims.
That won’t be a problem this time around though.
BOARDROOM POLITICS
When Gould branded the Bulldogs a “toxic” environment, that was prior to Lynne Anderson, Paul Dunn and John Ballesty stepping down.
That came after members and sponsors moved an extraordinary general meeting to demand changes at board level.
“That was a real issue because Gus has been critical of the club in the past, I think he called it toxic last year and advised Trent Barrett not to take the job at one point,” Read said.
“There’s obviously some political upheaval there or there always seems to be. I think he’s got some safeguards in his deal that protect him, depending on what happens with board elections but John Khoury the chair has done a pretty good job there I reckon.
“He’s brought some stability to the place and I think Gus shows the club is moving in the right direction. I think the members would be pretty happy Gus is there now.”
Legends laud Bulldogs' business | 01:39
Happy may be an understatement though.
Gould may be a divisive figure but his results speak for themselves.
23 of Penrith’s current top 30 either made their debuts at the Panthers or have come through the systems and are on the cusp of a first-grade call-up.
Within the space of a few years Gould had spearheaded a revival that transformed the Panthers into top-eight threats and now they are premiership heavyweights.
Hiring Gould could have the Bulldogs on a very similar path.
The four-step plan for Gould to make his year-long Bulldogs demand a reality
The four-step plan for Gould to make his year-long Bulldogs demand a reality
www.foxsports.com.au
