NRL FOX>>>>
THE writing was on the wall months ago but the final nail was only driven into the coffin last week.
That was when Canterbury started their season reviews.
It’s the role of the head coach to conduct the player reviews. Michael Maguire had actually started the process for South Sydney before being shown the door.
But the Dogs did it differently. And there’s a reason for that.
Their chairman, Ray Dib, was conducting the reviews of their top squad in their Belmore base and a recurring line of questioning appeared in every chat.
The coaching staff.
Des Hasler was never mentioned specifically.
Each question was phrased as coaching staff.
The answers only confirmed what the board had already decided.
February’s annual general meeting is coming fast and it’s a common belief that axing Hasler was a move made by the board to protect themselves.
Back to the interviews and it was Dib and an offsider running the show.
As you’d expect, the usual questions were asked.
They were along the lines of: “What do you feel you can improve on?”
But the only time players noticed any substantial notes being taken was when they spoke about the coaches.
The line of questioning was along the lines of: “What kind of interaction did you have with the coaching staff?”
“Did you receive much feedback from the coaching staff?”
Again, Hasler wasn’t mentioned by name.
The feedback was mixed.
Some players felt their relationship was fine, while others had a problem with communication.
A handful of players told Dib that unless they were in the 17-man squad for the week, it was like Hasler didn’t know they existed.
Not every player was questioned but members of the staff were. Hasler isn’t believed to be one of them. More player reviews are slated to continue this week.
On Tuesday, Hasler was summonsed for a meeting where he was told he would be let go.
The sponsors and club officials were advised of the decision before the news of Hasler’s sacking hit the public.
It was almost 5.30pm when the club issued a press release confirming the news.
The same statement was emailed to the players. Word for word.
It pays to be a member. They received their email around 5.20pm, stating:
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have agreed to part company with Head Coach Des Hasler effective immediately.
The club informed Hasler that they felt that it was in the best interests of both parties if the club moved forward under the direction of another Head Coach.
Hasler, has been at the Bulldogs since 2012 and coached them for six seasons.
Bulldogs Chairman Ray Dib spoke about the decision:
“Today, I informed Des Hasler and his management of our decision to pursue a new Head Coach for our Club, effective immediately.
The heads of agreement reached with Des Hasler for an extension of his contract were non-binding and a decision has been made not to renew his contract for next year.
“These types of conversations are never easy, especially when they involve people we respect personally and professionally, however, the Club believes the decision to change our football leadership was absolutely necessary.
“The Club will now begin its search for a new Head Coach and will provide further information once that process has been completed.”
When the news first broke, most of the team hadn’t even received the email. Some found out through Twitter, their management and even journalists.
Those at the Belmore base on Tuesday noticed Hasler’s office had been cleared out long before the announcement was made public.
Unlike most Rabbitohs players who anticipated Anthony Seibold to take over as their head coach when Maguire was let go exactly two weeks ago, the Dogs players are unsure of who’ll guide them next season.
All year, the players heard the speculation of Hasler’s demise. That noise continues as speculation runs wild over his replacement.
Dogs fans will hope the board are quicker at appointments than they are sackings.
