Trent Barrett QUITS as Bulldogs coach after club sent an ominous warning sign before announcement

Trent Barrett has reportedly quit as Bulldogs after the club fell to the bottom of the table in a horror start to the 2022 season.

The move was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald 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.

Barrett took the Dogs to the bottom of the ladder with the NRL’s worst attack and worst for-and-against record

The defeat appears to have been the last straw for some powerful figures at Belmore and the players have reportedly been told a new coach will be in place for their game against the Wests Tigers on Friday night.

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.’ 

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.

Canterbury football manager Phil Gould is well known for moving on from coaches – even when they’ve been successful, as he did with Ivan Cleary at Penrith

In a worrying sign for the former Dragons and NSW star, Gould took over from him to run a training session in late April and gave the players a huge spray during a video session.

The former Penrith boss has become known for jettisoning coaches even when they’re seemingly performing well, as he did with Ivan Cleary and Anthony Griffin during his time with the Panthers.

With Barrett gone, the Dogs could turn to premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan – whose son Kyle plays halfback for Canterbury – highly rated Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo or out-of-work ex-Cowboys mentor Paul Green.

More to come…