Trent Barrett has been confirmed as the Canterbury Bulldogs' head coach on a three-year deal beginning in 2021.
The former NRL star will finish the season with the Penrith Panthers, where he is an assistant coach, before taking over at the struggling Bulldogs.
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Canterbury and Dean Pay parted ways earlier this month and the Bulldogs have won just one of 10 games this season.
"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," Barrett said in a statement on Wednesday.
"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."
The Club today announces the signing of Trent Barrett as Head Coach for the next three seasons.#proudtobeabulldog
— Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (@NRL_Bulldogs) July 22, 2020
Barrett, a former St George Illawarra Dragons, Australia and New South Wales star as a player, previously coached the Manly Sea Eagles from 2016 to 2018, winning 29 of 73 NRL matches at the helm.
Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill was excited by the appointment of Barrett.
"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," he said.
"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."
