Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett quits: Phil Gould breaks silence, interim coach to be named

Canterbury supremo Phil Gould has spoken out about Trent Barrett’s departure, revealing the coach conceded he didn’t have a solution to the Bulldogs’ problems.

Canterbury supremo Phil Gould insisted he was never going to sack Trent Barrett but said the coach had conceded he did not have a “solution” to the Bulldogs’ poor performances in a candid phone call on Sunday night.

There was pressure from inside the Bulldogs for Barrett to stand down, despite speculation the coach was committed to seeing through his three-year deal at the club.

The Bulldogs slumped to the bottom of the ladder after going down to Newcastle 16-6 last Friday, taking Barrett’s record to 29 losses from 34 games in charge at Belmore.

It is understood Barrett stayed behind in Brisbane to meet with Gould on Saturday after the rest of the side flew back to Sydney.

By Sunday, Barrett had made the decision to stand down in an emotional phone call with Gould.

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Phil Gould addressed the media following Barrett’s departure from the Bulldogs. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty

“It was Trent’s decision. I certainly wasn’t going to sack him. It’s sad it’s come to this,” Gould said.

“I think the performances and pressure, he got the feeling he didn’t have the solutions for what was going wrong.

“That’s how he felt at the time. He made the decision on Sunday night. It was a rollercoaster through Saturday and Sunday. Late last night after I had finished the commentary on Nine, we had a long discussion. It was a very difficult discussion, it was pretty raw, he poured his heart out a bit, and he put his heart into this job.”

A number of Canterbury directors raised the question of Barrett’s immediate future with the side struggling to make an impact on the field despite injecting a number of high profile recruits into the roster – including Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr and Tevita Pangai Jr.

Gould said Barrett’s decision had all but prevented the board from stepping in and making the call to remove the coach.

Gould insists he never would have sacked Trent Barrett, and it was the coaches decision to stand down. Picture: Getty Images.

“He wanted to end the speculation and any pressure on the board to make a decision, so he took it upon himself (to resign),” Gould said.

“He put his heart and soul into it, he gave his best, but he said, ‘I can’t see a way clear now, and I don’t want the club to suffer’, so he made the decision himself.

“They (the board) understand where Trent was coming from, it’s results based business, boards and clubs are under pressure when things aren’t going well. It is not new for the Bulldogs, it has been five years in a row where it has been failure for them. It’s a culmination, everyone is looking for a way out. Hopefully we find it in the near future.”

Canterbury will look internally for an interim coach, who will be appointed before players are scheduled to return to training ahead of Friday night’s must win clash against the Wests Tigers.

David Furner, who was an assistant to Barrett and former Canberra coach, is an option. As in former Tigers and current Mounties coach Mick Potter.

Asked if the likes of Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo or NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler could take over at Canterbury, Gould would only say there was interest from multiple suitors for the job.

Mick Potter is in contention to replace Barrett as interim coach. Picture: Gregg Porteous

“They’ve thrown up a thousand names, the phone has been running hot,” Gould said.

“There are plenty of applicants.

“We’re just trying to get through the week. There is no decision about a future coach, we are not thinking about it.

We didn’t contemplate having to find an interim coach today, that wasn’t on the agenda. “

Gould knocked back any suggestion he will take over as coach.

“Not a chance in the world. Not a chance in the world,” Gould insisted.

Barrett’s resignation comes three weeks after Gould ran a scathing video review and training session raising speculation about the coach’s future.

At the time, Barrett said Gould was invited to lead the training session in a bid to elicit a response from the side to break a six-game losing streak.

It worked, with the Bulldogs overcoming the Roosters 16-12 to register only their second win of the season.

After being cut by Manly and only lasting 18 months at the helm at Belmore, Gould insisted Barrett had a future as an NRL head coach.

“He’s as good a young coach I’ve seen coming through the system, he’s just been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Gould said.

“He’s taken on big jobs because he backs himself and he’s very confident in his own ability. He works extremely hard – he’s the most hardworking young coach I’ve seen.”

“We never thought we’d be in this position today … there is a lot of shock and a lot of sadness.”

BULLDOGS’ MOST WANTED

Canterbury general manager of football, Phil Gould will target Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo as the Bulldogs’ next head coach — but may have to battle some internal resistance.

Trent Barrett was enjoying a beer in Port Macquarie on Monday when news broke he had resigned, effective immediately, and club powerbrokers were kickstarting the search for his replacement.

The Bulldogs must first appoint an interim coach to take control of the team for Friday night’s match against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval in a battle of the NRL’s two bottom-placed teams.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Gould – who was locked in meetings on Monday afternoon with Bulldogs chairman John Khoury — has a massive opinion of Ciraldo, having worked closely with him at Penrith.

But after the Bulldogs gambled and failed on successive unproven coaches in Dean Pay and Barrett, some club powerbrokers are seeking a hardened, experienced mentor to take over a floundering club which has won just four of its past 35 games.

The Bulldogs will target Panthers’ assistant Cameron Ciraldo to replace Trent Barrett. Picture: AAP.

There are other elements of the Bulldogs board however, who believe Ciraldo, 37, would prove fresh and innovative, building off the back off his success in developing the bulk of the current Panthers premiership-winning squad from Penrith’s junior system.

Gould is likely to ignore any protests and continue to pursue the former Italy coach.

Aside from Gould, Ciraldo has a strong working relationship with star players Matt Burton and Brent Naden, as well as 2023 recruit Viliame Kikau.

Penrith chief executive Matt Cameron said on Monday the club had held initial talks with Ciraldo over an extension but those discussions had not progressed.

The Panthers are still hopeful he will extend his time at the club but acknowledge that he is at the top of their rivals’ hit lists when it comes to head coaching.

“Ciro is employed for the remainder of this year,” Cameron said.

“We would love to continue his services moving forward but it will be a decision for Cameron and his management.”

Should Ciraldo reject the Bulldogs’ interest or be overlooked, The Daily Telegraph has been told the Bulldogs may look at NSW coach Brad Fittler, Gold Coast assistant Jim Dymock or Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire, who is contracted until 2023 but has the key support of Gould.

There could be some resistance to Ciraldo, after signing Dean Pay as a rookie coach backfired. Picture: Getty Images.

Another potential candidate is highly touted St Helens coach Kristian Woolf, who has spearheaded Tonga’s international rise.

He is off contract at the end of this UK Super League season and his Tonga assistants, David Furner and David Tangata-Toa, are already contracted to Canterbury and could form an impressive coaching set-up.

There appears minimal interest in former Cronulla premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan, who could be reunited with son Kyle, or ex-Queensland coach Paul Green.

Shane Flanagan has commitments at St George Illawarra as the recruitment and retention consultant, but he is keen on the Canterbury job.Asked about the difficulty of coaching while his son Kyle is looking to make an impact at the Bulldogs, Flanagan said, “I’d just pick the best halfback every week, whoever that is”.

Gould and Fittler have been friends for 30 years but he may be reluctant to head back into the daily grind of NRL coaching, given his Blues position and Channel 9 commentary role.

Those close to the situation claim Gould is the only man who could persuade Fittler into coaching the Bulldogs.

Dymock is a Bulldogs legend and assistant coach, who spent eight games as head coach in 2011, winning five of them — before Des Hasler was appointed.

Some coaches may be hesitant about working under the giant shadow the influential Gould casts at Belmore.

Barret worked with Ciraldo at Penrith in 2020 before moving to the Bulldogs. Could Ciraldo now follow suit? Picture: Getty Images.

Furner and Mounties coach Mick Potter are candidates for the interim coach position, which is likely to be announced on Tuesday.

Furner coached Canberra from 2009-2013 and has worked as an assistant at North Queensland, Newcastle and South Sydney. Potter, who played fullback for Canterbury’s 1984-85 premiership-winning sides, coaches Canterbury’s feeder club and has NRL experience from his time with Wests Tigers in 2013-14.

Bulldogs players were told of Barrett’s resignation on Monday morning. Barrett was actually having a beer at the Settlers Inn, Port Macquarie, celebrating the life of his friend Shane Millard’s father, who had passed away.

Barrett was just 18 months into a three-year contract and his payout could be worth around $500,000.

Originally published as Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett quits: Phil Gould breaks silence, interim coach to be named