Bulldogs ready to table new Hasler offer

Canterbury will offer coach Des Hasler a two-year extension on his contract following a three-hour board meeting at ANZ Stadium on Thursday evening.

The Bulldogs board met in the hours before the side’s pressure-easing 10-7 win over Brisbane at the ground, in what was a pre-arranged meeting.

They emerged just 45 minutes before kick-off, and chief executive Raelene Castle said the club were now in a position to table an offer to Hasler.

“We continue to have positive conversations,” Castle said.

“We’ve got a position now we’ll present to Des’ management and we’re hopeful that will result in a favourable outcome.”

Castle said the club still had “some hoops to jump through” before a deal was finalised, but expected a signature to be completed before their next board meeting at the end of April.

However she insisted those “hoops” were not related to on-field performances.

“They are not results-related,” she said. “It’s a decision for two years so it’s important we get it right and make sure both parties are happy.

“It’s of huge importance to the Bulldogs so if it takes us an extra week to get it done, we’ll take that extra week.”

Hasler’s contract has been an ongoing discussion at the Bulldogs since midway through last year.

In that time, club legend Steve Mortimer stepped down from the board after questioning whether Hasler knew the Bulldogs’ DNA ahead of a pivotal meeting at the end of last season.

The pressure on Hasler ballooned following last Saturday’s 36-0 loss to Manly, regarded by many to be the club’s worst performance since his arrival in 2012, but his players responded in style on Thursday.

After trailing 7-0 at halftime, Canterbury’s forwards were particularly dominant, with almost all of the starting pack going close to doubling their running metres from last week.

Captain James Graham also pulled off a match-saving ankle tap out wide in the final minutes to help keep the lead, while David Klemmer topped 240 metres.

“We were disappointed about our performance,” Graham said.

“No one was harder on us. Whatever you guys were saying or writing or people in the media were saying, trust me, no one was more disappointed than us.”

Hasler brushed aside suggestions he must be relieved, despite a week in which his future was regularly questioned.

“We just got on with the week,” he said.

“We were disappointing last week and we wanted to turn around this week. Life goes on.”

He was, however, full of praise for debutant halfback Matthew Frawley, who deputised for the suspended Moses Mbye alongside Josh Reynolds.

“He was everything that we thought he would be,” Hasler said.

“I thought our halves were really outstanding tonight, engaged the line, took the line on.”

Mbye is due back next week, and Hasler danced around questions on whether Frawley’s performance had given him a selection headache.

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