Hounding Hasler: Is Des a dying breed?

Another week, another painful loss for the Canterbury Bulldogs, and another fresh round of speculation over Des Hasler’s future.

According to the club, last week’s board meeting had been prearranged months ago. Whether or not this is the case, there’s no doubt that the topic of the team’s performance and Hasler’s job security would have been high on the agenda.

So what should the Bulldogs do? Should they sack Des and replace him with Dean Pay or even Trent Barrett? Or should they show faith in the man who has guided the club to two grand finals over the past half dozen years? Should they stay the course or start over?

It’s a big decision. And like any big life decision, sometimes the best place to start is to list out all of the pros and cons. Club chairman Ray Dib is a busy man, so I’ve gone ahead and done it for him.

Pro: Outstanding track record of success – Des Hasler’s a winner. That’s all he knows. As a player, Des won everything there was to win. He won a pair of premierships with his beloved Sea Eagles, he won Origin shields for NSW, he won World Cups for the Kangaroos, and he even won the Dally M Lock of the year in 1991.

Des then carried that winning mentality through to his coaching. Hasler captured two premierships with Manly, made two grand final appearances with the Bulldogs, and led his teams to 12 finals appearances from 14 seasons. You talk about someone who brings a winning culture with them wherever they go, that someone is Des Hasler. Des is a winner.

Just not this year.

(AAP Image/Paul Miller)

Con: His attack has gone stale. Last Thursday’s loss to the Panthers perfectly sums up Canterbury’s attack. No direction, no cohesion, no communication, no execution. The Dogs have no trouble getting into the opposition red zone, but the halves are at a total loss for what to do when they get there.

Far too often the ball finds its way into the hands of a flat footed forward or unsuspecting outside back on fifth tackle. After a full pre-season to implement an attacking structure and 21 weeks of NRL action to practice it, this just isn’t good enough. And that’s on Des.

But perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Canterbury’s attack is the complete lack of variety or originality. It reminds me of living in university housing where the same tired, bland and unpalatable slop was served every night. While it might taste good the very first time you taste it, after six years of eating the same thing, maybe it’s time to try something new.

Pro: Good at recruiting forwards. Say what you will about the putrid state of Canterbury’s attack, you can’t deny Des has assembled a red hot pack of forwards. Josh Jackson, David Klemmer and James Graham are all world class, Sam Kasiano, Adam Elliot and Aiden Tolman are representative players, and Aaron Woods is on his way to the club next season.

There hasn’t been that much top grade cattle in one place since the last ban on live exports.

Con: Bad at recruiting everyone else. While Des was busy collecting prop forwards like they were going out of fashion, the rest of Canterbury’s roster went to rack and ruin. A series of poor recruitment and retention decisions left the Bulldogs with limited depth, an ageing backline and a very brittle spine.

The release of Michael Ennis and subsequent signing of Michael Lichaa, the big money given to an ageing Brett Morris, the long-term extension handed to an unproven Moses Mbye, and the failure to re-sign fan favourite Josh Reynolds are just some of the many questionable roster management decisions made over the last couple of seasons.

Even the signing of NSW front rower Aaron Woods raised more than a few eyebrows based on the already strong stable of stallions at Des’ disposal. From a recruitment perspective, Hasler’s one saving grace is…

Pro: Kieran Foran likes him. One of the biggest advantages of being a top coach is pulling power. Players want to play for certain coaches, believing master mentors such as Bellamy, Bennett and Brown can elevate their game, and help them to achieve representative honours.

Des is certainly in that category, at least when it comes to Kieran Foran.

Hasler was the coach of the Manly Sea Eagles when Foran first broke into the top grade. The pair won a premiership together and have been very close ever since. Des almost signed Foran when the halfback first departed the Sea Eagles, and again when he left Parramatta. He turned out to be third time lucky.

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

The signing of Foran is a massive one. Despite a tough couple of years, he remains one of the better playmaking options in the competition. So the question is – can Dean Pay have the same effect? Would players take less money from rival clubs to sweat and bleed for Dean Pay? Does having Dean Pay as coach make Canterbury a desirable destination for off-contract players? Not in my opinion. At least not yet.

Con: Expensive to sack him. Sacking a contracted coach is never cheap, as the Wests Tigers can attest. You have to pay out the remainder of their contract as well as paying the salary of the guy you bring in to replace him. From a business perspective, it rarely makes sense. And in the case of Des Hasler, it’s utter lunacy.

Des is known within rugby league circles for his contractual wizardry; the guy knows more about clauses than Kris Kringle. And with the ink still drying on a lucrative two-year contract extension, Hasler’s golden parachute would likely make most CEOs blush. Luckily, Canterbury is one of the few clubs that could afford it.

Pro: Master of innovation. Des is an ideas man, a rugby league Tony Stark, straddling the fine line between innovation and imagination. He’s always been ahead of his time; the sort of bloke who was experimenting with almond milk while the rest of us were still stuck on soy.

Hasler embraced sports science and data analytics before they were cool. He built his own centre of excellence before they became mainstream. He pioneered GPS technology, explored uncharted avenues of injury rehabilitation, and developed new training techniques. He even brought back the short drop-out. Genius!

Sure, not all of his ideas take. But it’s his willingness to have a crack and try something new that separates him from his coaching peers.

Con: Spends too much cash – All that innovation comes at a steep price. You only need to drive past the Kannfinch centre of excellence in Belmore to get a feel for Hasler’s champagne tastes. The place is a rugby league palace, housing some of the finest gym equipment and rehabilitation facilities in the country. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Up until recently, Hasler sported the largest and most comprehensive support staff in the NRL. His love of statistics and technology also resulted in Canterbury outlaying significant funds for IT infrastructure and maintenance. And that’s without even mentioning the sinking fund put aside to pay for press conference related fines.

Des gets results, but they always come at a price. Could Canterbury achieve similar results with a heavily reduced upfront investment? It’s certainly possible.

Pro: Fabulous head of hair – Seriously, that is one enviable mop. I’m sure there are guys on the Rip Curl Pro Tour who would kill to roll out of bed with that beautiful bouffant.

(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Con: Not a Canterbury man – You’re either a Canterbury man or you’re not. And despite spending six years in the kennel, Des will always be a Sea Eagle in Bulldog’s clothing. The hair certainly doesn’t help his cause. Hair like that just doesn’t grow in Belmore.

Recommendation: Objectively speaking, the decision to sack Hasler would be a foolish and expensive one. The man is a very well respected and highly successful coach, and those guys don’t grow on trees. Des has endured a rotten 18 months, but that shouldn’t detract from his outstanding coaching record.

But Hasler should be put on notice. His team’s performance has been unacceptable this year, and the Bulldogs will be looking for considerable improvement in Canterbury’s attack and a significant uptick in their points per game. Another season like this one, and it might be time for change.

5th Tackle Option
Here are five quick thoughts on the action from Round 21:

1. I’m not sure how a strict disciplinarian such as Brad Arthur tolerates a player like Kenny Edwards. The guy is a grub, pure and simple. For Edwards, behaviour like we saw on Friday night, where he drove his shoulder into the head of a prone and possibly concussed player, doesn’t come as a surprise. The game is better off without it.

2. Speaking of Parramatta, how about that performance against the Broncos? The Eels were electric from the opening whistle, matching Brisbane’s high octane attack and dishing out punishing hits in defence. For a side that has been in or around the top eight for the entire season, Parramatta have remained conspicuously absent from finals football discussion. They have been flying under the radar for most of the season, but after their win against Brisbane, expect that to change.

(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

3. And how about those Knights! Is it too early to anoint them as 2018 Premiership dark horses and pencil Brock Lamb in for Dally M honours?

4. Watching the Raiders run up a score against South Sydney just drove home what an epic disappointment they have been in 2017. They have the side to feature deep into September, but for whatever reason, it just hasn’t come together this year. I still believe Aidan Sezer is salvageable at halfback, but if the Raiders are to take their game to the next level, they need a better option than Blake Austin.

5. Congratulations to Cameron Smith. Notching up 350 first grade games is an incredible achievement. His durability and consistency are second to none, and he looks certain to be the first man to hit the magical 400 number. Pretty amazing for a guy who looks like he should be doing your tax return.