Bulldogs extend Pay's deal until end of 2020
The Bulldogs have shrugged off an abysmal start to the season and extended the contract of coach Dean Pay for a further year.
Despite starting the season with two heavy defeats, the family club has shown faith in Pay by handing him a new deal until the end of 2020.
"The Bulldogs are a club that absolutely believes in supporting our people to be the best they can be," Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill said. "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."
Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson stressed it was an unanimous decision on behalf of the club's board, which swept to power last year in a bitter struggle for power at Belmore.
She said it would be "unfair" to judge Pay on last year's performances given the club's salary cap predicament.
Said Pay: "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."
Pay has swung the selection axe for the last-placed Bulldogs' clash with the ladder-leading Tigers at Campbelltown on Sunday.
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