Phil Gould’s rejection of Canterbury Bulldogs says plenty about the club | Locker Room

Canterbury made a stealth-like pitch for Phil Gould — and his rejection says plenty about the club’s current state of affairs.

Phil Gould knocked back the Bulldogs because he felt that he couldn’t fix the club in only three years.

He’s also fairly happy working with the Warriors.

But it’s the first point that should be treated with interest – and a dose of grim reality – by Bulldogs fans.

Much like the Sharks making a play for Craig Bellamy to be their GM of football, you can’t knock Canterbury management for pitching to Gould to take over the entire football department.

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Coach Trent Barrett could see the upside in having Gould helping to pull-in managers, sign players and align the pathways programs.

Yes, Gould ultimately knocked Canterbury back. But so what?

It happens.

The stealth-like pitch at least indicates the club isn’t satisfied with its four wins in the past 16 months and is prepared to look under every rock to fix it.

Phil Gould knocked back an approach to join the Bulldogs.

Striving for a higher standard, a level of expertise and support for incoming Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is also why Cronulla won’t close the door on Bellamy coming to the club in 2023 – even if he re-signs with the Storm for next season, as the entire rugby league world expects.

Where the Dogs stuffed up is not so much the offer to Gould, but the time frame. And the irony is, the Bulldogs know it.

Three years isn’t long enough to turn a footy club around. Sure, you can make a dent, but cleaning up a roster can take years.

The Dragons, Broncos, Wests Tigers, Knights and Titans, to name just a few, still aren’t settled after more than five years of roster mismanagement.

You wonder what Gould would’ve said if the Dogs had offered him an open-ended contract?

We’ll never know.

Trent Barrett and the Bulldogs have a long road ahead to turn the club around. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Gould would be aware of the same home truths that Dogs management have been impressing on members in recent weeks.

The narrative has been that the Dogs hierarchy want wins just as badly and as quickly as the fans do.

The signing of Matt Burton, Brent Naden and Josh Addo-Carr will help that cause.

But the Bulldogs realise that those three players alone won’t return long-term success for a club that wants to play finals football every year.

There’ll be no shortcuts, that’s what is being said – even though the possible recruitment of a 30-year-old Shaun Johnson, on the back of a major Achilles injury, seems exactly that.

Tough conversations will be had at the Dogs during a football committee meeting on Tuesday.

That’s where Johnson – and issues such as how to sign Storm hooker Brandon Smith for 2023 – will be discussed.

Shaun Johnson has been linked with a move to Canterbury. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

One tough discussion has already been had. The possible release of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak – the club’s best player this year – to the Wests Tigers is part of the conversation that points to how much work the Dogs still need to do.

Like the play for Gould, at least they’re working on a solution.

‘DWZ’ is on an impossible-to-believe contract worth around $880,000.

That’s a salary worth more than what representative players Jack Wighton and Jake Trbojevic are earning and Watene-Zelezniak has played six games at fullback and three on the wing this season.

He sure is one lucky guy.

The fact Canterbury are prepared to wear half of his salary on their cap next year is another telltale sign to fans that the Dogs are prepared to take the longest road to the top.

Gould might be right though – it could take longer than three years.

Originally published as Phil Gould’s rejection of Canterbury Bulldogs says plenty about the club | Locker Room