Trent Barrett quits two weeks after Phil Gould promised he was the ‘long-term coach’

It only took two weeks for Phil Gould’s bold claim that Trent Barrett was Canterbury’s “long-term coach” to come crashing down.

Bulldogs footy guru Phil Gould.

Earlier this month, Canterbury’s general manager of football Phil Gould boldly declared Trent Barrett was a “long-term coach for the club”.

“Trent Barrett will be the coach of the Bulldogs long after I’m gone,” Gould told Channel 9’s 100% Footy at the time.

Two weeks is a long time in rugby league, it seems.

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Barrett has “quit” as Bulldogs coach, stepping down from the role after a dismal start to the club’s 2022 campaign.

Despite being under contract until the end of 2023, the 44-year-old’s last game in charge was a horrendous 16-6 loss to Newcastle on Friday night — a defeat that sparked emergency discussions among the board about their coach’s future.

The Daily Telegraph reports Bulldogs players were sent home from training on Monday morning after Gould informed them Barrett had quit, telling the roster not to speak to the media.

“When a coach feels like he needs to resign, we all feel like we’ve failed,” Gould told reporters on Monday afternoon.

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

“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.”

Gould said he spoke on the phone with Barrett on Sunday night where the former coach made the decision to quit.

“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.

“It’s sad the way it has ended. Hopefully he finds a bit of respite now and a bit of peace.

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

Two weeks earlier, Gould laughed off “childish” media speculation that Barrett’s job was under threat following his infamous takeover of a training Bulldogs session.

Phil Gould’s promise was broken after two weeks. NRL Imagery

“All this stuff that was misrepresented and misspoken about, and most of this is so childish, agenda-driven and personal grievances I’ve been dealing with pretty much for the most part of my career,” he said.

“It doesn’t affect me, I don’t worry about it and I laugh in their face with it.

“What they then try to do is get it around people who are around me, so that I will respond.

“They will write rubbish, they will write lies … and hope that I will respond and tell the truth.

“I’ve never done it. I’ve never tried to protect my own image by putting others down.

“If I tell the truth about a lot of these other things, a lot of other people will be very, very embarrassed. I don’t do that.

“I wonder about the childishness of the people who comment on this without ever knowing the real facts.”

Gould’s words have come back to bite him.

According to The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield, the Bulldogs wanted to ensure Gould is not framed as the person responsible for Barrett’s axing.

“Phil Gould can’t be seen as the person who sacks him, but he’s got a history of getting rid of coaches. You go back to Penrith with Ivan Cleary and Anthony Griffin,” he told the Big Sports Breakfast on Monday morning.

“The way it will be orchestrated is, it will be a board decision. People with any real knowledge of the situation know Gus has more power than the chairman, CEO or anybody within the club and it’s his decision.

“What will happen is Trent Barrett, it will be orchestrated that (Barrett) resigns and stands down and says publicly he’s not in position to take the team forward.”

Former Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett. Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images

The Bulldogs have not qualified for a finals series since 2016, finishing 15th and 16th on the NRL ladder in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

It was hoped that high-profile recruits Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr would revive the cellar dwellers this season, but another wooden spoon seems imminent.

Paul Green, Shane Flanagan, Steve Price and Cameron Ciraldo have been touted as leading candidates to replace Barrett.

The Bulldogs will next face the Wests Tigers in a bottom of the table clash at Leichhardt Oval on Friday, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm AEST.

Originally published as Trent Barrett quits two weeks after Phil Gould promised he was the ‘long-term coach’