The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have a vital stretch coming up, after head coach Trent Barrett walked away from the side’s Round 10 loss. So what now?
The Bulldogs have endured a tough 2022 NRL season – 10 games played, two wins, sitting last on the ladder and now dealing with Trent Barrett’s resignation and the fallout that brings.
Former Tigers coach Mick Potter steps up from NSW Cup duties as interim, with the Bulldogs needing some ‘wins’ – whether on the field or otherwise – to restore some confidence.
Barrett was only 18 months into a three-year contract when the Bulldogs escalated the situation by calling a meeting to discuss his future. That never happened, with the now-former coach calling time beforehand.
The writing was on the wall when Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould stepped in and took over a training session. Ironically, the Bulldogs won their next game.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd things actually started with plenty of optimism pre-season, with new recruits coming in and more signings for the 2023 season announced. Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr were ready to make their mark, plus Eels hooker Reed Mahoney joins next season along with Panthers enforcer Viliame Kikau.
But reality has set in that things could still get way worse before there’s fresh optimism like there was pre-season.
There are elements of doubt around whether the recruits will stick around. They signed with the assumption that Barrett would coach. That’s still to play out and may well depend on who is next appointed.
Brent Naden has already made the decision to move on, immediately joining the Tigers – which could see him sensationally line up against the Dogs this Friday.
The club now desperately needs leadership and steadying forces. The forward pack remains experienced, for now, with Luke Thompson, Paul Vaughan and captain Josh Jackson being turned to.
Addo-Carr and Burton bring some class, but their inclusions hasn’t proven enough to translate into consistent wins so far this season.
Their attack is still the worst in the league, by some margin, having still not chalked up three figures in the ‘points for’ column (96).
Finding some potency in attack under Potter in the short-term has to be a priority, while the administrators unturn every stone to ensure they find the best long-term coaching candidate.
A number of names have been tossed up as replacements from 2023, including premiership winners Paul Green and Shane Flanagan, Tonga boss Kristian Woolf, who took St Helens to last year’s Super League title and former Sharks coach John Morris.
But given the Panthers connections with Burton and Kikau, Cameron Ciraldo is another option that Gould should explore.
We’ve seen teams produce an emotional response in the game following a coaching departure, which may well happen against the very beatable Tigers. But sustained effort will be asked of the playing group, as the Origin period threatens to distract focus in the coming weeks.