Trent Barrett has quit as Bulldogs after the club fell to the bottom of the table in a horror start to the 2022 season.
The move was announced by the club on Monday morning and is effective immediately.
His resignation comes shortly after the club cancelled all media appearances for the players on Monday in an ominous sign a big change was on the way.
Canterbury powerbrokers spoke by phone to discuss the 44-year-old’s future after they lost to Newcastle in round 10, allowing the Knights to snap a seven-game losing streak in a shocking performance.
Bulldogs forward Paul Vaughan was the first player to speak out after the news broke, reportedly sledging the journalists who’d gathered at the club.
Sydney Morning Herald reporter Danny Weidler tweeted that Vaughan said, ‘Do you have to be here? You are the worst kind of people.’
Ray Hadley reported that Dogs football manager Phil Gould sent the players home once the decision was made, and claimed the club would say the training session was cancelled due to flu running through the team.
‘The players were also given tomorrow off and were told to return on Wednesday, leaving them just two days to prepare for the Wests Tigers on Friday night,’ Hadley said on Radio 2GB.
‘Earlier, players were dramatically hidden from media as speculation increased that Barrett would be sacked imminently. Well, now they are saying he resigned.
‘The players there have got to take the blame for all this.
‘I am told that some of the senior players that had spoken to Phil Gould and members of the board about how unhappy they were with Trent Barrett and his coaching ability.’
The club released the following statement: ‘Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Head Coach Trent Barrett has today stood down from his role, effective immediately.
‘We would sincerely like to thank Trent for all of his hard work and effort over the past 18 months in what has been a very difficult time for the club.
‘As this is a challenging time for all parties, the Club would like to respect Trent’s privacy and wish him all the best for the future.’
Canterbury currently sit last on the ladder with just two wins from their first 10 games and the competition’s worst for-and-against record.
An off-season recruitment spree that drew big names Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Dufty, Brent Naden, Tevita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan to the club gave fans hope that their miserable form of recent years would begin to turn around, but it’s been more of the same in 2022.
Barrett’s side have the worst attack in the competition and have lacked firepower and discipline.
