The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have extended the contract of Head Coach Dean Pay by a further 12 months taking him through until the end of the 2020 season.
Bulldogs Chief Executive Andrew Hill saw the extension of Pay's contract as an important part of the club's plan moving forward :
"The Bulldogs are a club that absolutely believes in supporting our people to be the best they can be. We believe it is important to give Dean the backing to lead our young squad forward. Our role as a club is to provide Dean with the best possible environment to succeed. By extending his contract we are showing the faith in him that is a crucial part of that process. We are a strong and united club looking to lay the platform for future success and Dean's extension is part of our overall plan moving forward."
"The NRL is generally not a patient sport, but that said, some things simply take time. Giving a coach only 12 months with an inherited squad and several challenges was not an option for the current Board and Management. We support our people and believe in Dean's ability and want to provide him with the best environment to succeed."
Chair Lynne Anderson also spoke about the club's desire to extend Dean's contract :
"We are a united board with a great deal of football experience and it is during times like this that you draw upon that football experience. The Board was unanimous in wanting to extend Dean's contract and to show our support for him. Last year Dean inherited a squad and a salary cap situation that were not of his making, and we believe it would be unfair to judge him on that. He now gets the chance to shape the future of our football team in his own way.
We very much wanted to give him the opportunity to do that and to show our faith in him."
Former Bulldogs captain and current Board Member Steve Price also backed the decision to extend Pay's contract :
"We have great faith in Dean going forward and know that he is a strong leader and the right man to coach our football club. We strongly believe in what Dean is building and his ability to lead this young squad in the right direction.
Stability and respect have been integral characteristics of the Bulldogs success over the years and that is the platform we'd like to lay for Dean going forward.
This is what the foundations of our great club have been built on over the years."
Dean Pay spoke of his excitement for the future of the club:
"I'd firstly like to thank the Board for the faith that they have shown in me and I'm genuinely excited about the future of this club. We have a young squad that has great potential and anything we achieve in the future will be based on the simple principles of hard work and togetherness. This is a proud club with an incredibly passionate supporter base and I want us to play the type of football that brings them the success that they deserve."
