CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 06: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett watches on during the round nine NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Canterbury Bulldogs at GIO Stadium, on May 06, 2022, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Canterbury Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett has quit the club following emergency talks on Monday morning.
In a short statement, the club thanked Barrett for his efforts, but failed to confirm who would take over for the remainder of the season.
"Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Head Coach Trent Barrett has today stood down from his role, effective immediately," the statement read.
"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."
Zero Tackle, however, understands assistant coach David Furner will be the man to take over for the remainder of 2022, and that both Shane Flanagan and Paul Green have been contacted as the potential permanent coach, although are yet to hold any official discussions with the club.
Barrett has been under the pump for much of the season.
Coming off a wooden spoon, a speight of off-season signings saw the coach needing a strong start to 2022, but the woeful Bulldogs lost to the Newcastle Knights during magic round, taking their record to a dour two and eight.
The club hold the worst attacking record in the competition - as they did last year - and are well entrenched in the bottom eight when it comes to key defensive metrics.
While Phil Gould - who is the director of football at the club - stated last week that Barrett would continue on as coach for as long as he was there, and after, that appears to now not be the case, with Barrett falling on his sword after seeing the writing on the wall.
The club cancelled a media opportunity for players this morning to shield them from speculation over the future direction of the club, while it's understood players were sent home and have been told to not return to training until Wednesday.
Barrett has been in charge of the Bulldogs since the start of the 2021 season, when he left his role as an assistant coach at the Penrith Panthers to take over as head coach at Belmore.
The former Illawarra Steelers, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wigan Warriors and Cronulla Sharks player has now won just 34 of 107 games coached across his time at both the Manly Sea Eagles and Canterbury Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will line up for their first game without Barrett this coming weekend against the Wests Tigers.