Oh, and as much as the coaching paradigm is important... I've heard we have very poor gym facilities. Front up with the cash Owen and Eric, if you want the best, you have to give these blokes the chance to be prepared the best. And it needs to be implemented ASAP... not 12 months down the track. Its needed.. NOW. Not only does our roster need it, but future prospects look at things like that... if they don't see an environment that they can get better, then the players we attract are likely to be those that no one else wants. To get the best, we need to be the best in every single way.
Absolutely, and just to put some perspective on this :
THE Bulldogs football club borrowed $1 million from Canterbury Leagues Club to meet Des Hasler's list of demands upon his arrival at Belmore in the off-season.
After negotiating a contract worth an estimated $750,000 a season - well above what he initially sought to stay at Manly - Hasler demanded the club spend heavily on training facilities.
Canterbury Leagues Club was asked to loan the football club "around $1 million", according to chief executive Todd Greenberg, to meet Hasler's demands.
Hasler had a lecture theatre installed and end-on cameras at the training ground so he could tape and review every training session.
He also wanted an altitude training centre - but this could not be met in the budget - along with an "aquatic centre".
However, he agreed with Greenberg that any prizemoney won would go towards the altitude training centre, which is now in construction after the Bulldogs earned $100,000 prizemoney for winning the minor premiership.
While the aquatic centre has been pushed back to "stage two or three" of the Hasler grand plan, according to Greenberg, plunge pools and ice baths were installed.
"Before Des we were a part-time GPS club," Greenberg said.
"Some players wore it, some players didn't.
"Now it's like putting your boots on. They wear it for every minute they're here because Des likes to track every movement they do."
The Bulldogs knew Hasler would not come cheaply when they began negotiating before last year's finals series.
However, they were swayed to continue pursuing the coach by Greenberg at a board meeting.
"Don't worry if you can afford to do it," he told them. "Worry if you can afford not to do it."
While life is nothing but lemonade for the Bulldogs, it is lemons for the Sea Eagles who crashed out of the finals the week before the grand final and face a drop in revenue after failing to fully capitalise on their premierships successes.
For just an extra $100,000, Hasler was prepared to stay at Manly, but the Sea Eagles did not believe he was worth it.
Now, Hasler's defection to Canterbury has resulted in a $1 million windfall for the Bulldogs which means he has already paid his way - as the club now stands on the verge of its first premiership title in eight years.
Regardless of the result tomorrow, the Bulldogs have projected a positive forecast for next year.
The club's 2013 jersey, already fully sponsored, will be in stores by Christmas.
Crowd attendance has risen by nearly 3000 a game and is expected to climb steeply next season, sponsorship and merchandise sales are also up and receipts this week alone almost enough to cover Hasler's final pricetag.
While Hasler's input has been widely acknowledged, less credit has gone towards the Canterbury board who have cleverly invested in the club's infrastructure.
The Bulldogs received a $9 million government grant to upgrade Belmore Sports Ground and chose to use it towards establishing a world class training centre instead of trying to make Belmore suitable to host NRL games.
Other sides, such as St George Illawarra and Cronulla, poured their government grants into the upgrading of existing grandstands.
"Russell Crowe spent $100,000 on [Souths'] own dressing room at ANZ Stadium; we put that into our training venue where we spend 365 days a year," Greenberg said.
The benefits are obvious. The Bulldogs have adopted the model used in the AFL and the NFL in the US, playing out of big multi-purpose venues while using their suburban home as a training facility.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...pon-joining-club/story-e6frexnr-1226483768642
