What’s the Buzz: Bulldogs’ brain trust a bone of contention

The Bulldogs’ horror season might have another twist in the tail with rumblings of drama behind the scenes on the coaching staff.

Trent Barrett and David Furner.

There is drama behind the scenes at the Canterbury Bulldogs on the coaching staff that the great “Gus” Gould will need to sort out before the start of next season.

We are told from reliable sources that under-pressure head coach Trent Barrett and his assistant David Furner haven’t exactly jelled this season as a coaching partnership.

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There is a bit of a blame game happening between the pair that many of the players are talking about.

While few expected they would be playing finals football this year, the Bulldogs have had a disgraceful season with two wins and 21 losses going into the final round against the Wests Tigers.

Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett and assistant coach David Furner.

There has been only one worst team in the last decade — the Newcastle Knights in 2016 — when they finished the year with just one win and a points differential of minus 495.

It’s an interesting one for the 2021 wooden-spooners and how they move forward with the coaching set-up and the differences between Furner and Barrett.

Furner left Newcastle last year because it didn’t work out with coach Adam O’Brien.

Barrett is under more pressure than any other coach in the competition.

He might have Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Tavita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan arriving next year but he needs results in the first eight rounds to be assured of keeping his job.

The Bulldogs have had a horror season.

It’s common knowledge that Gould is a huge fan of Shane Flanagan.

In fact, Gus wrote a glowing reference for Flanagan to the NRL in 2019, urging the head body to lift his coaching ban.

They go back 20 years to when Flanagan worked under Gould at the Sydney Roosters.

Originally published as What’s the Buzz: Bulldogs’ brain trust a bone of contention