Bulldogs legend Mick Potter’s return to the club will be a permanent one, with the club offering the interim coach a permanent role beyond this year.
Potter, who stepped in at short notice after the club split with Trent Barrett following Magic Round, won’t leave the Bulldogs after their season-ending win over the Sea Eagles on Friday night.
Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould told players and staff after the game Potter will remain at Belmore next year when coach Cameron Ciraldo takes charge on a five-year deal.
While the club hasn’t decided on which job Potter will take, Gould and the Bulldogs board have been highly impressed how the former Wests Tigers coach turned the club’s fortunes around after a miserable start to the year.
Canterbury won five of their last 14 games under Potter and safely clawed their way out of wooden spoon contention once he joined the club, but also played a high energy brand of attacking football in which they averaged 20.5 points per game.
The Bulldogs managed just 96 points through the first 10 games of the season under Barrett, who will join the Eels as an assistant to Brad Arthur next season.
Interim Bulldogs coach Mick Potter will stay on at the club next year.Credit: Janie Barrett
Potter could also serve as an assistant to Ciraldo - or even slip into the job as the Bulldogs’ NSW Cup coach - but Gould is intent on keeping him involved with the set-up in 2023.
“We haven’t spoken about any specifics, it will be Cameron’s decision, and I’ve spoken to Cameron before,” Potter said. “I’m pretty comfortable with how it’s going to work and they’ve got it in hand. I’ve really enjoyed my time back at the club this year and am looking forward to being involved again.”
Many of the club’s senior players including Josh Addo-Carr have spoke glowingly of Potter’s calming influence on the squad, which will be bolstered by the arrivals of Penrith’s Viliame Kikau, Parramatta’s Reed Mahoney and Canberra’s Ryan Sutton next year.
Potter won two premierships with the Bulldogs during a playing stint at the club between 1983 and 1988. His previous NRL coaching experience was as head coach of the Tigers for two years in 2013-14 when he took over from Tim Sheens.
Sheens will take over as coach of the Tigers for the next two years after Michael Maguire’s mid-season sacking, with caretaker coach Brett Kimmorley not enjoying the success of Potter. Kimmorley has only managed one win since round 12 after Maguire’s exit.
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