Greek Australian Steve Georgallis has been announced as the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' interim coach for the rest of this season, after head Coach Dean Pay walked away mid-season.
The Bulldogs, an Australian professional rugby league football club, confirmed Pay‘s exit via statement, saying both parties agreed that it was in the best interests of the individual and the club to part ways. The decision was reached after a meeting between Pay and the club following Saturday‘s loss to the Broncos.
“These decisions are always tough, particularly when they involve someone who has been part of the Bulldogs family for a long time,” Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said in the statement.
"We did not rush into this decision and have taken our time to look at what was best for the club in regard to success moving forward. I‘d like to thank Dean for his contribution over the past three years and all the hard work and passion he has given to the club," he concluded.
Canterbury Bulldogs playmaker Kieran Foran has thrown his support behind Georgallis. "He coached the Canterbury Cup side deep into the finals, and he’s obviously been helping Dean out with the assistant’s role for the last couple of seasons."
"He is a guy that understands the club, he has coached a lot of the players in this roster…I know he is going to have to jump in and do everything he can to help us turn this year around," he added.
Georgallis played 229 games during his career which included representing NSW in the State of Origin and Greece in their first ever international.
“I’ve got great respect for Georgie…he obviously has the best interests of the club at hand."
*Images Courtesy of Greek Rugby League Association
