Trent Barrett to become head coach of Canterbury Bulldogs from 2021

Drew Darbyshire

Canterbury Bulldogs have announced that Trent Barrett will become the club’s head coach on a three-year deal from 2021.

Barrett will finish the 2020 NRL season with Penrith Panthers as assistant coach before linking up with the Bulldogs ahead of 2021.

The 42-year-old made more than 300 career appearances as a player for Illawarra Steelers, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wigan and Cronulla Sharks. He earned 15 caps for Australia and played 11 times for New South Wales in Origin.

Barrett said: “I’d like to thank the Canterbury-Bankstown club for appointing me to the position of head coach and for giving me the opportunity to become part of the Bulldogs family.

“The club has a long and proud history of success in rugby league and is a club founded on strong work ethics and family values.

“I look forward to, and am excited by, the challenges ahead in terms of making this club a serious competition force again.

“I would also like to thank the Panthers for their support and understanding, As my job there is not yet done, and out of respect to the Panthers, I will not be making any further comment until the conclusion of the season.”

Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill added: “We have acted swiftly to secure the services of Trent because we believe he is the right man to take our club forward.

“Having spoken to Trent on a number of occasions we have been impressed with his vision for the future of our football team and how he will look to develop our players on and off the field.

“Trent has been around the game a long time and has a great knowledge of football and how to bring the best out of players. We all look forward to him joining the Bulldogs family at the end of this season.”

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