Canterbury Bulldogs coach Des Hasler channels Harry Potter by describing referees as 'Voldemorts'

• Follow LeagueHQ on Twitter
• Play Ultimate League
• NRL 2015 Team by team guide
• Quiz masterclass: How many 70s footy stars can you name?

Canterbury coach Des Hasler will escape further sanction by the NRL despite labelling the NRL referees as "Voldemorts" after being hit with a breach notice.

The Bulldogs are considering whether they'll fight the $10,000 suspended fine handed down by the NRL after Hasler suggested match officials should publicly explain their decisions following the Bulldogs' round-one loss to Penrith.

Hasler followed up those comments by saying he's now fully aware of the new guidelines, reaching into his Harry Potter book collection to describe the NRL referees as "Voldemorts". Evil wizard Voldemort is the JK Rowling character who Potter defeated at the end of the book series.

Hasler was the first coach to be sanctioned under the NRL's new rules which prevent coaches from speaking about anything to do with the referees. Hasler said the moves were not good if "you're an advocate for free speech".

The consummate performer: Des Hasler, as you've never seen him before.Credit: Kevin Kearney

When asked what he thought of the breach notice Hasler replied: "When it comes to understanding the policy about he's whose name you cannot mention – let's call him Voldemort – I clearly understand the policy, paragraph 31 sub-clause two, that comment on means just that.

"So you can't say anything nice about them. You can't say anything positive about them. You can't say anything about the Voldemorts and you just can't comment."

Hasler added ahead of Canterbury's clash against the Eels on Friday night: "It's what they've set. That's what they think is pragmatic and reasonable. If you're an advocate for free speech it's not too good. But anyway, that's it, we'll move on [to] Parramatta. I'm just going to follow the policy about he's whose name we can't mention."

Fairfax Media understands Hasler's latest comments won't come under scrutiny. Hasler has called another media conference at 7.15am in Belmore on Friday.

Warning heeded: Des Hasler is the first coach to breach the NRL's new rules on criticising referees.Credit: Getty Images

Hasler also played the Harry Potter role to Geoff Toovey's Ron Weasley as he defended the under-siege Manly coach.

Hasler, who played alongside Toovey in the 1996 grand final, and brought him back to the club as part of his coaching staff in 2004, said nobody's better qualified to coach the Sea Eagles.

'Peel away, peel away': Voldemort waiting to be appointed to control an NRL game.

"I feel for every coach who comes under pressure at a stage in their career," Hasler said.

"Tooves is a man of great integrity. He is a great fella and was a great footballer.

"He always has the best interests of his players at heart and he will handle it."

Meanwhile, Bulldogs fullback Brett Morris has eased into his new role. Morris scored a try and saved another in Canterbury's 24-18 loss to Penrith to show enough that he'll solve the No.1 jersey woes the Bulldogs have had in recent years.

"It's a lot different to playing on the wing," Morris said. "There's a lot more running involved. I've trained the full pre-season there and really enjoyed it.

"It was my first full game of footy for almost six months so it was always going to be a tough one.

"I came here with a very open mind. I wasn't sure what position I was going to play. When [Hasler] mentioned to me that there was a chance I'd play fullback, I just trained as hard as I could. It's one of the positions now which is key to the teams success."

The Bulldogs have struggled for a permanent No.1 since Ben Barba's scintillating 2012 season. Veteran Sam Perrett admirably filled the void last year but has now shifted to the wing. Despite Morris being a regular on the representative scene, his appearances at fullback have been spasmodic. His Bulldogs debut was the first time he has played fullback since 2012, and Morris has only featured regularly at the back in 2012 and 2008 at St George Illawarra.

"The organisation of the fullback is a pretty important role," Morris said. "In offence getting the plays out and relaying the calls to let [the outside men] know what's on and trying to get the shape right.

"I was at the Dragons for a long time, coming to a new place, new faces and new training it has been very refreshing. Having to learn again is something I've really enjoyed."