Infighting among fan and board factions at the Bulldogs puts board at risk of overthrow

While the Bulldogs have been well known for their off-field dysfunction, harmony has decended in recent years. But are there rumblings of discontent out of Belmore once again?

Bulldogs in fighting John Khoury

The Bulldogs are barking again. Not on the field, but most certainly off it. There are rumblings of discontent out of Belmore and we all know what that means …. and it isn’t good.

The Bulldogs at their best are one of the most powerful clubs in the land. At their worst, they are one of the most dysfunctional, rife with internal politics and bickering.

In recent years, that has become a thing of the past but the natives are once again getting restless as the club lurches from one defeat to the next.

There are factions and fan groups beginning to count numbers with a view to overthrowing the board, leaving chair John Khoury and his collective facing the most crucial six months of their tenure.

John Khoury (R) with Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton. Khoury and his board may face a challenge at elections in February. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

They desperately need some good performances – and good news – to keep the wolves at bay or heads may roll when elections come around again in February.

Khoury has done a handy job since taking over as chair a couple of years ago. He rightly points to the appointment of Phil Gould as head of football, the signing of the coveted Cameron Ciraldo, the extension of a multimillion dollar sponsorship with the Laundy family and the improving results in lower grades.

All are ticks on his resume and suggest he has the club moving in the right direction. Yet Khoury is also smart enough to realise that football clubs are judged by their results on the field rather than off it.

It’s why the Wests Tigers find themselves under a similar microscope. Sure, they have a sparkly new $50 million Centre of Excellence but who cares if chief executive Justin Pascoe was able to lobby the government for money if they can’t win a football game.

Wests Tigers player Charlie Staines pictured at the Wests Tigers $50 million Centre of Excellence. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The difference is that the Tigers board of directors and hierarchy are basically untouchable. The Bulldogs are ripe for the picking and they have been left vulnerable as the club’s revival goes much slower than most expected.

There were some, giddy with hubris after the signing of Ciraldo, who tipped them to push for the top eight this year. That belief bordered on madness. They were right to expect something other than a wooden spoon but the Bulldogs find themselves in the thick of that scrap after an embarrassing performance last weekend against Newcastle.

Gould fronted the media this week in an attempt to ease the burden on club and coach but behind the scenes, there is frustration growing as ‘Dogs supporters query where their once-great club has gone.

There are rumblings of discontent out of Belmore and we all know what that means …. and it isn’t good. Art by Boo Bailey.

This column was contacted this week by a Bulldogs insider suggesting the troops were being rallied amid a push for change. Board elections are six months away. The clock is ticking.

The Bulldogs need to make headway in coming months or Khoury could face a challenge which would have a snowball effect for the club. There would be carnage. It is the last thing the Bulldogs need as they attempt to claw their way back up the ladder.

Results and recruitment will dictate how it all plays out. The frustration among Bulldogs fans no doubt grows as they watch former players Nick Meaney and Jeremy Marshall-King tear it up for Melbourne and the Dolphins.

Marcelo Montoya playing for the Bulldogs in 2018. Picture: AAP Image/Darren Pateman

Nick Meaney in action for the Bulldogs in 2021. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

So too Reimis Smith at the Storm and Marcelo Montoya for the Warriors. The Bulldogs have signed Stephen Crichton for next season, but they need more than the Penrith centre, who is expected to wear the No. 1 jersey for Canterbury.

So much more. There are crucial pieces of the puzzle that are missing. It’s why their recruitment has focused on a halfback and a middle forward. Toby Sexton has been signed but the jury is out on whether he is the answer.

Ben Hunt has been on their radar for some time but he looks more likely to return to Queensland. A class playmaker may be a bridge too far at the moment.

Payne Haas is understood to be their top target when it comes to the middle of the field and he would be a trophy signing. He won’t come cheap if he arrives at November 1 yet to sign an extension with Brisbane, but the Bulldogs will have a swing if he decides to trigger a multimillion dollar bidding war for his services.

Haas would be a statement. The sort of signing who may silence the noise that is coming out of Belmore. Supporters need to see something that gives them a sense of hope. The more they jeer their team and walk out of the stadium in disgust before full-time, the more tenuous it becomes for Khoury and his cohort.

A change at the top could mean changes further down the line. The ‘Dogs have big plans but they may be scuppered if Khoury can’t find a way to appease the masses.

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CEO of the Rugby League Players Association, Clint Newton. The players and their union have got it horribly wrong in turning on the media. Picture: AAP Image/James Gourley

The players and their union wanted to make a statement to the NRL this week but they got it horribly wrong.

Rather than punishing head office for the slow progress of CBA talks, they bit the hand that feeds them.

They turned on the media and it was a blunder of monumental proportions. The relationship between players and the media can be fraught at times but they remain a conduit between club, players and fans.

More importantly, they pay a significant amount of money to keep the game afloat. Take away the broadcasting dollars and tell me where the cash would come from to pay the players their million-dollar salaries.

It was misjudged and ill-advised, costing the Rugby League Players Association any chance they had of garnering mass support from the media in their fight against the NRL.

To make matters worse, players who have contracts with media organisations are not subject to the blackout. In other words, if you earn a dollar through the media, good as gold.

If you don’t, no talkies. It’s a ridiculous situation that leaves the players vulnerable to accusations of hypocrisy, all thanks to a union that is meant to protect them.

No-one begrudges the players their right to earn a good living. They deserve it given what they put their bodies through week after week. Nor should they be criticised for seeking more say in their future and how the game is run.

Yet they have taken their anger and frustration out on the wrong people and as a result, their point has been lost. What is clear is that the RLPA and NRL need to find a middle ground. A way forward. The game can ill-afford an extended brawl and nor can the players.

They have been let down by their union this week. They deserve better.