7th Tackle: Losing streak keeps Des waiting
How long will it take for the Des Hasler saga at Canterbury to be finalised?
It all depends on how long it takes the team to register a win.
Negotiations to extend Hasler's tenure another two years have reached the pointy end; indicating that he'll remain at Belmore beyond this season.
But timing is everything. The Bulldogs can't announce the big news with the team in the midst of a losing streak that extends back to last August.
Victories over New Zealand and Manly - two very winnable games - would put the club in a much better position to sell Hasler's extension to the fans.
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We're also told the board has softened on some of the rigid performance criteria it had a placed around Hasler's future; which might have exposed him to an undignified exit.
What the board won't compromise on is its strategic plan - to develop more local juniors and re-connect the football department with club tradition.
Debuting Bankstown Bulls product Marcelo Montoya - the first known player of Chilean heritage to play NRL - tomorrow night is a good start.