Not even Des Hasler’s successes at Bulldogs insulated him from his failings
He arrived in 2011 hot off a premiership win at Manly and hailed as a white knight but six years later Des Hasler leaves Belmore as one of the most unpopular figures in club history.
After dillying and dallying for a year – even extending his contract for two seasons just five months back – the Bulldogs finally moved on Hasler, axing him on Tuesday night.
Hasler’s sacking follows a virtual revolt at Belmore where former players and fans alike were outraged by his conservative and outdated attacking style, his belligerent refusal to accept the notion that change was necessary, his refusal to even attempt to recognise the unique cultural norms, his questionable return on some pricey recruitment decisions, his allowing popular players Josh Reynolds and James Graham to leave and his steadfast dismissal of players from NSW Cup down as potential first grade products.
With board elections just around the corner, the timing of Hasler’s sacking comes as no surprise. With CEO Raelene Castle forced out midseason, chairman Ray Dib had no other sacrificial lamb.
The winds turned on Hasler late in 2016 and by mid-2017 his popularity at Belmore had fallen through the floor. With each ugly loss – and while the losses were numerous the ugliness in style engulfed nearly the entire season – anger turned to outrage and outrage turned to mutiny.
Even his relative success couldn’t save him – from the mob, or the board.
In six seasons Hasler took Canterbury to two grand finals and five finals campaigns. His win rate of 56.6% was good. He is the only coach in the last six seasons to have a winning record over Craig Bellamy, arguably the greatest coach in premiership history.
Expectations are high at Belmore. They are higher for outsiders and Hasler is the first mentor the Bulldogs have hired who didn’t play in the blue and white since Warren Ryan three decades back. Alas, even Hasler’s successes could not insulate him from his self-wrought failings.
Even his most ardent supporters struggled to defend some of his recruitment and retention calls. Tony Williams will go down as one of the most expensive flops in Canterbury history. Michael Ennis went on to win a premiership at Cronulla two years after he was forced out of the Bulldogs while his replacement Michael Lichaa is set to be released after being unable to hold his top grade spot this year. Will Hopoate was signed and allowed to avoid playing on Sundays. Aaron Woods and Kieran Foran were signed to huge deals when the Bulldogs were firstly in salary cap trouble and secondly in the running to sign James Tedesco, a player with the upside to be the best in the premiership.
A club that has long been reliant on local juniors and pathways for early talent identification, under Hasler the Bulldogs became a buy first, buy second and buy third club. Very few youngsters got a chance. Even those who did break through, such as Dale Finucane, were forced to leave, not fitting into Hasler’s system.
Hasler’s system, of course, was very much at the crux of where it all went wrong. What worked in 2012 no longer worked in 2016 and 2017 but Hasler refused to change, offering an attack that was as conservative as it was predictable, as confusing to his own players to grasp as it was simple
for opponents to shut down. His stubborn refusal to adapt infuriated those forced to endure the methodical ugliness week in and week out.
At the end of the day though, it was Hasler’s inability to recognise Canterbury’s history or value the importance of culture that undid him.
The Bulldogs expect success but more importantly they expect values of toughness, professionalism and pride to be displayed. They saw very little of any over the last two seasons as a once-proud club disintegrated. Getting arguably the club’s two biggest legends – and perhaps two most amiable blokes – in Terry Lamb and Steve Mortimer offside only highlighted Hasler’s modus operandi that it was his way or the high way and to hell with the collateral damage. He simply didn’t seem to value the culture of Belmore, built by Lamb and Mortimer and Peter Moore and Chris Anderson and Steve Price and the Hughes boys and Hazem El Masri and so many more.
The search begins now for both the Bulldogs and Hasler.
Former Souths coach Michael Maguire and Canberra assistant Dean Pay have both been strongly linked, as has Manly coach Trent Barrett. Pay is the only former Canterbury player among the trio and after the failed Hasler experiment the Bulldogs will almost certainly revert to type and bring in one of their own.
For Hasler, the Titans remain a chance but after a healthy payout, a year on the sidelines and being linked to every potential job is probably his best prospect.
He might be gone but the bitterness will still remain at Belmore as long as the Bulldogs are lumped with salary cap problems and languishing in the bottom half of the table. The Hasler years will not be remembered with any great fanfare at Canterbury, that’s for sure and certain.