Dean Pay formally walked out on Canterbury on Tuesday morning, ending his three-year stint as coach of the NRL club.
Handed arguably the weakest roster in the NRL when he replaced Des Hasler after the 2017 season, Pay has led the Bulldogs to just 19 wins in 57 matches. It is understood the former Bulldogs captain informed the playing group of his decision at their Belmore Sportsground headquarters on Tuesday morning.
“I’d like to thank the Bulldogs for the opportunity to be the head coach at a club that has always meant so much to me,” Pay said in a statement.
Assistant coach Steve Georgallis will take the reins as caretaker, with Trent Barrett widely considered the frontrunner to succeed Pay in a long-term capacity. NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler, Queensland counterpart Kevin Walters and former Penrith coach Anthony Griffin have also been mentioned as options.
Canterbury chief executive Andrew Hill said it was particularly tough to see Pay depart given his extensive links to the club. The 51-year-old spent seven of his 11 playing years in the blue-and-white, including their premiership triumph in 1995, prior to joining Parramatta.
“These decisions are always tough, particularly when they involve someone who has been part of the Bulldogs family for a long time,” Hill said.
“The fact is that the club and Dean have decided that we needed to move in a different direction to take the team forward and Dean was in agreement that now was the right time for both parties to part ways.
“We did not rush into this decision and have taken our time to look at what was best for the club in regards to success moving forward.”
