‘Left that conspiracy open’: Phil Gould denials spark Bulldogs coaching rumours

Phil Gould’s denials of discussions with the Bulldogs’ potential next coach has sparked rumours Brad Fittler has already agreed to the job.

Phil Gould and Brad Fittler.

Phil Gould’s denials of discussions with the Bulldogs’ potential next coach has sparked rumours Blues mentor Brad Fittler has already agreed to take the job.

Gould revealed he has given the appointment of the next Bulldogs coach “no thought” and denied fielding offers or having any conversations with prospective coaches about the position.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.

However, rugby league journalist Paul Kent believes Gould has contradicted himself with comments he made after Trent Barrett was sacked, which means he likely has a candidate in mind or at the very least has spoken to potential Barrett successors.

“The day he sacked Trent Barrett he said the phone has been ringing hot so I don’t know what is going on there,” Kent told Fox League’s NRL 360 on Tuesday.

“We all know Shane Flanagan has shown interest in the job and wants the job. Apparently Cameron Ciraldo has expressed his lack of interest in the job, so it certainly seems like there has been feelers put out there.

“The other thing is he said he wants a coach by September. So are we waiting for Brad Fittler to finish his commitments with Origin before we decide on who the Canterbury job might be? Or are they going to wait until the last week of September and make a decision then?

“Why wouldn’t you be out there now as part of your job description basically starting to peel back the candidates and who is available? Who is ready? Who is right for the job? Who is not right for the job?”

News Corp reporter Paul Crawley doubts Gould would have overseen Barrett’s departure without at the very least having a successor in mind.

“It is hard to believe a word that comes out of his mouth because he said that and then today he said there has been no calls,” he said.

“We are two weeks down the track.”

Phil Gould denies he has spoken to anyone about the Bulldogs coaching position.

Former New South Wales representative Braith Anasta believes the denials from Gould has intensified the speculation around Fittler potentially taking the job.

“It has left that conspiracy for Freddy open because of the lack of talk or noise around any coaches,” he said.

Kent explained that both Fittler and Gould’s comments on the position are making the possibility of the Blues coach taking over after the Origin series more plausible.

“It makes sense if Brad Fittler has already been sounded out about it,” he said.

“That would be a private conversation between Gould and Fittler.

“Fittler has told people around the game that he is interested in coaching in the NRL again one day.

“But when it was put to him about coaching Canterbury specifically, he came back with, I have a job at Channel 9 and I have a job with the Blues and that’s it.

“He wouldn’t talk beyond that period so are we just waiting until the end of the Origin period before that becomes the conversation? In the past that is often how it has played out.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes the Tigers are taking a leaf out of the Bulldogs book in getting an answer from their next coach before they make a call on Michael Maguire.

“I think the Tigers are learning from what the Bulldogs are doing here,” he said.

“I don’t think the Tigers are going to move on Madge until they have got their answer, knowing that the Bulldogs don’t have theirs.”

Brad Fittler has denied interest in the Bulldogs position.

Kent noted that Gould has no history of sacking coaches without having a replacement in mind.

“You don’t get rid of a coach unless you know who you are going to replace him with,” Kent said.

“Phil Gould has never in his life got rid of a coach and not had someone in mind.

“When he got rid of Ivan Cleary the first time around he just went out and got Anthony Griffin. He didn’t interview for the job.

“He just went and spoke to Anthony Griffin and liked what he heard and gave him the job. Then he sacked him. That’s the way it works.”

Crawley believes Gould has a coach in his sights, but warned delaying his appointment will make it very hard for the Bulldogs recruitment department as the team continues to struggle.

“He is clearly not a silly man and if he lets Trent Barrett walk out the door he clearly has another option in mind and he would have to have confidence that he will get that person,” he said.

“But it is such a critical thing for Canterbury fans and their members to see what is happening at the moment.

“Josh Addo-Carr just got dropped from the NSW side because he plays for the Bulldogs. That’s what happened. Matt Burton wasn’t in the conversation because he plays at the Bulldogs.

“So from a Canterbury recruitment perspective and Gus is talking about having all this money that is available in 2024, what rep player or future rep player with half a clue would want to go to the Bulldogs knowing it could be the end of your representative career if you go there?”

However, Anasta asserted that representative players would want to play for Fittler after having an association with him at Origin level.

“If Freddy is there they might go there,” he said.

Originally published as ‘Left that conspiracy open’: Phil Gould denials spark Bulldogs coaching rumours