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NRL
Trent Barrett promises Penrith he won’t leave until after 2020 grand final, amid Canterbury courtship
He might be Canterbury’s No.1 target to replace departed coach Dean Pay, but Trent Barrett says if he was to take up the Bulldogs job, he has unfinished business with the Panthers first.
David Riccio, Michael Carayannis and Dean Ritchie, The Daily Telegraph
Trent Barrett promises Penrith he won’t leave until after 2020 grand final, amid Canterbury courtship
He might be Canterbury’s No.1 target to replace departed coach Dean Pay, but Trent Barrett says if he was to take up the Bulldogs job, he has unfinished business with the Panthers first.
David Riccio, Michael Carayannis and Dean Ritchie, The Daily Telegraph
Trent Barrett has made a pact to Penrith that he’s staying to win this year’s premiership.
The Bulldogs number one candidate to replace Dean Pay informed Penrith chairman Dave O‘Neill on Wednesday that if he is to join Canterbury, it wouldn’t be until after this year’s grand final.
Barrett, 42, has been interviewed for the head coaching position at Canterbury, but is yet to be informed if he‘s got the job.
Souths coach Wayne Bennett has also been linked with the Bulldogs post.
It‘s believed Canterbury will wait until after Saturday’s clash with St George-Illawarra before announcing their decision.
Interim coach Steve Georgallis will guide the Bulldogs this weekend.
What‘s clear is that Barrett is in the Bulldogs’ direct line of sight with Canterbury management also seeking the opinion of former player and coach Phil Gould.
Gould has offered his support for the appointment of the current Penrith assistant.
Those close to Barrett are adamant he has learned immensely from his experience – both good and bad – at Manly where he was the head coach from 2016-2018.
Barrett‘s success as Penrith’s attack coach is also a major lure for the Bulldogs, who have scored an average of 10.4 points this season.
Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary admitted he didn‘t want Barrett to leave the foot of the mountains, but conceded his mentor was perfectly suited to a return to an NRL hot seat.
“I wish he wouldn’t go,” Cleary said.
“I have a good relationship with Baz (Barrett). He has a great footy mind. He would make a great coach. We will just have to see what happens.
“I would love him to stay. He has given us a foundation. We love having Baz around. He has helped me so much. To lose someone like him would be a big loss to our team. He is easy to get along with.
“He has a super smart footy brain and good to work with.”
Barrett arrived for a second stint at the Panthers during the last off-season. The last time he was at the Panthers, Cleary was just a teenager rising through the ranks.
“When I first worked with him, it was a long time ago,” Cleary said. “It was more a halfback academy. I was never coached by him. We were doing fundamental and tempo stuff. Now he has come back in a coaching aspect. He has been massive for me. He has given me a great deal of confidence.”
Barrett has not been alone in helping ignite Penrith’s attack. The return of Api Koroisau plus the emergence of Stephen Crichton and Jarome Luai have also sparked a Penrith side who are averaging seven points more per game than last year.
“It was always there,” Cleary said.
“We had the players to do it. We had a few different players come in. We’re finding the right mix. (Barrett) has given us some foundations to build off. It has suited our team. We still have a long way to go. Baz has been a massive asset.”