Troubled tenure: The Bulldogs have had a horror year under Des Hasler. Credit:AAP The Bulldogs owe it to Dean Pay, Jim Dymock – or whoever they throw into the hot seat next season – to oversee the roster overhaul and be accountable for the tough decisions that need to be made over the next few months to rebuild the proud club. And they owe it to their fans to give them something to look forward to after the train wreck that has been the 2017 season. The events that have unfolded at the Bulldogs over the past 12 months have taken the gloss off what has been one of the most successful coaching careers in rugby league history. With each loss there's another chink in what was a once impeccable reputation. It's clear Hasler's time at the Bulldogs is up. It doesn't mean he has lost his "aura" or "the dressing room", or whatever coaching cliche you can come up with. It's simply just not working anymore.

Crisis talks: Gold Coast coach Neil Henry at Titans headquarters on Monday. Credit:AAP The nature of the salary cap means most clubs get a small window to taste success. That window, which yielded two grand final losses, is now slammed shut at Canterbury. The Bulldogs need something new and by the looks of a disheartened Hasler the past few weeks, it's time the wily coach moved on to greener – or perhaps more golden – pastures. If the events north of the border transpire in the manner they are expected to over the next week, Neil Henry will be gone and the Titans will be looking for a coach to instil a hard edge at a club that has long lacked the mental toughness to be a force in the NRL. Enter Hasler. For a cash-stricken club such as the Titans, Hasler's $1 million price tag is one they usually would never contemplate.

Henry's deal is worth less than half that. But given Hasler will walk away from Canterbury with another million in his pocket as part of a termination clause in the contract extension he signed a few months ago, the Titans might not need to break the bank to lure him to the sunshine state. Especially if it is his only option. When it comes to modern-day coaches, there's Wayne Bennett, there's Craig Bellamy, there's Hasler, then there's daylight. As they say, you don't lose your ability to coach overnight, but a whole range of factors have contributed to the demise of Hasler at Belmore. But there's no doubting his ability as a man-manager. He had some larger than life characters during his time at Manly, but managed to get them singing from the same hymn sheet to win two premierships. He did a similar job with Ben Barba before his career began to spiral out of control. So if there's a coach out there who can get the best out of Jarryd Hayne, permitting he survives the axe at the Titans of course, it's Hasler.

Would he want to coach the Titans? Who knows. Perhaps the Warriors would be a more attractive offer and given some of the whispers coming from across the ditch in relation to a potential new owner, there could be some major change afoot. Hasler is too good a coach to be sitting a season on the sideline, so if there's an opportunity about to open at the Titans, the Bulldogs, in looking after their own best interests, should afford Hasler the right to decide whether he wants to throw his hat into the ring. Do it for Des. Do it for themselves.

Still on the Titans coaching situation and there's a name that many might not know that has been endorsed by Matty Johns. The Knights legend has thrown his support behind Panthers assistant coach Garth Brennan, who has been instrumental in the development of Penrith's young players over the past five years. Brennan has coached the likes of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Isaah Yeo, Bryce Cartwright and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, winning NYC and NSW Cup premierships during his time at the club. "I can't give him big enough wraps," Yeo said. "I had him in 20's and NSW Cup and he did a tremendous job with my development and the team as a whole. One to watch: Garth Brennan in 2013. Credit:Jonathan Carroll We won the grand final with him in the 20's and NSW Cup the following year. He's a tremendous coach, a real people's person. I think he is more than good enough to take on an NRL gig somewhere." Johns believes Brennan has similar coaching potential that has seen Michael Maguire and Trent Robinson taste NRL premiership success. "I've had a rap on fellow named Garth Brennan for a long time," Johns said on Triple M. "Brennan has been coaching lower grades at Penrith for a number of years now and he's won competition after competition. "He's a young coach, he is very much in that Trent Robinson, Michael Maguire mould in the fact people don't know who he is. "He's not a household name in rugby league but after you have 12 months of success that's how you build your reputation." There were a few excited Tigers fans at Leichhardt Oval when they spotted 'son of Ivan', Nathan Cleary, sitting in the stands watching his father's team in their come-from-behind win against Manly on Sunday afternoon. While you can't read anything into that, you might see it as more than just coincidence the Wests Tigers signed Luke Brooks to a two year deal that expires the same year Nathan comes off contract at the Panthers.

Staying put: Nathan Cleary will not be joining his father any time soon. Credit:NRL Photos Loading Penrith have already begun talks to keep Nathan at the foot of the mountains long term, but you can be assured his father will have a significant say in where he plays his football in 2020 and beyond. With Penrith to face Canberra this weekend, it's a good time to bring up the old Josh Mansour story about how he turned his back on Ricky Stuart and the Raiders to stay for less at the Panthers. Problem is that's not how some of Mansour's former teammates see it. In some hilarious banter on social media recently, former Panthers player Isaac John made fun of the situation when Mansour posted a tweet saying: "Neymar to PSG. But why?". To which John replied, "Same reason you back flipped on Canberra. Money". Now that's a good comeback, regardless of its factual accuracy.