Former Canterbury Bulldogs forward Dean Pay has been confirmed as the new coach at Belmore, replacing Des Hasler.
Hasler departed from the Bulldogs last week after they informed him they would not be renewing his contract for next year.
The club has announced Pay, an assistant coach at the Canberra Raiders — who played 108 games for the Bulldogs and was part of the team's 1995 premiership side — has been signed on a two-year contract.
In a statement, Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib said the club was "delighted" with the appointment.
"Dean is a Bulldogs man through and through and someone who totally understands the history and tradition of the club," Dib said.
"He was an outstanding player with the club and has carried that over into his coaching career, where he has worked under some excellent coaches, as well as showing that he can lead from the front with his superb record with the NSW Under-20s side.
"We want to bring back the Bulldogs culture of old and feel strongly that Dean is the man to do this."
Pay's coaching resume includes stints as assistant coach at the Catalan Dragons, Parramatta and now Canberra as well as an under-20 coach at Melbourne Storm, and coach of the NSW State of Origin Under-20s, where he won five series in a row between 2012 and 2016.
Pay described his appointment as "a tremendous honour" to work at a club he "loved playing for".
"Having learnt under some great coaches I now believe that the time is right for me to step up into the head coach's role," he said.
"The Bulldogs have a great history and tradition and I'm looking forward to the chance to work with a talented group of players, where respect and discipline will be the cornerstones of how we go about our business."
