Phil Gould will undertake the toughest job in Rugby League as General Manager of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2022.
The Bulldogs have drastically declined since their last finals appearance in 2016. They haven't finished higher than 12th since 2017 and finished last in 2021.
Despite the recent lack of success, Gould is ready for the challenge and believes the club has the right people in place to return the Bulldogs to their winning ways.
“I was under no illusions about how big the job was going to be,” Gould said on 1170 SEN Breakfast.
“You don’t have the sort of form that (the Bulldogs) have had over the last four to five years without a number of issues.
“John Khoury and his board have worked very hard over the last 12 months.
“He’s done a lot of work in preparation for my arrival.
“A lot of the internal issues (in the club) have been resolved.”
Gould admits that whilst the board have resolved their issues, the club still needs to produce the results on the field if they are to give supporters something to cheer about next season.
“I kept saying to all the staff… everyone gets judged by that scoreboard on Sunday when the first-grade team plays,” Gould continued.
“That’s the reality of being in the NRL.
“If that scoreboard is not right on the weekend, then the whole club gets judged.”
The Bulldogs have recruited heavily in the past 12 months with Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr and Tevita Pangai Junior all agreeing to long term deals with the club.
“I’m excited about them all,” Gould continued.
“There are some players that have flown under the radar a little bit… that have trained very well.
“It’s important for every player on our roster this year… to improve their careers.”
The Bulldogs are not expecting immediate success however, and are imploring fans to stick with the team and trust the process that Gould and the board have put in place.
“The Bulldogs, it’s a club with great history and it’s been very tough in recent times.
“But we’ll get back there.”