At around $700,000, Des Hasler accepted less at the Bulldogs than if he stayed at Manly.Picture: SIMON ALEKNA
NRL
Des Hasler has already paid for himself at Canterbury this season - regardless of whether the Bulldogs win Sunday's grand final against Melbourne.
The Mercury can reveal details of what will go down as the most financially lucrative month in Canterbury's 77-year history - and which will top $1 million in turnover if they beat the Storm to take the premiership and $400,000 in prizemoney that comes with it.
Canterbury have done a stunning trade in the sale of merchandise during their run through the finals series, and that, combined with performance bonuses written into major sponsorship contracts, ticket sales for corporate functions and finals prizemoney, has sent the club's September earnings skyrocketing.
The Bulldogs have already earned $100,000 in prizemoney for winning the minor premiership, and can't earn less than $200,000 from the grand final.
Plus, Gary Johnston, the managing director of the club's major sponsor, Jaycar Electronics, promised the club at a pre-season lunch that he would pay an extra $100,000 if the Bulldogs won the minor premiership.
Canterbury have set themselves big goals for the future under the leadership of chief executive Todd Greenberg and a switched-on board of directors. And the football club staff under Greenberg is clearly one of the best-performed in the competition when it comes to marketing and attracting sponsors.
But the contribution of Hasler to the club's growth is undeniably huge. The team wouldn't be in the grand final without him.
The Bulldogs didn't make the finals last season, or the year before.
Bulldogs officials refuse to discuss the specifics of contracts, but it was known that Hasler accepted less money to join the Bulldogs than he could have earned by re-signing at Manly.
The Mercury understands Hasler's earnings this season will reach about $700,000, including bonuses, if Canterbury beat the Storm.
"If the team wins on Sunday it will take the club past the million-dollar mark in gross earnings for September," Greenberg said yesterday. "I can't think the Bulldogs would have ever had a better month financially than this one, if it ends the way we would like it to."