Under-pressure Canterbury coach Des Hasler will front the Bulldogs board on Friday afternoon in what’s been labelled as one of the most important meetings in the NRL club’s 81-year history.
Despite leading the Bulldogs to two grand finals and finishing in the top-eight in each of his five years at the club, the former Manly supremo is facing the biggest battle of his illustrious career to keep his job at Belmore.
A meek exit from the finals at the first hurdle against Penrith last month following a poor end the regular season, infuriated club powerbrokers and discussions about a two-year contract extension were subsequently shelved.
Canterbury great and vice-chairman Steve Mortimer this week claimed the club has lost its DNA under Hasler’s leadership and vowed to oppose any new contract tabled to the 55-year-old, two-time premiership winner.
However, chairman Ray Dib told News Corp on Thursday he didn’t agree with Mortimer and expressed disappointment by his comments.
Hasler’s hands-on approach to every single aspect of the club and an expensively assembled staff and squad are believed to be a major bone of contention for certain board members.
Four members of his staff have already been forced out as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
There is also concern at the number of local juniors that have been lost to other teams since Hasler’s took over at the start of the 2012 season.
Former Bulldogs representative forward Dean Pay, the NSW under-20s coach, currently employed as an assistant to Ricky Stuart at Canberra, is tipped to replace Hasler if the axe falls.
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