Phil Gould

Canterbury CEO Aaron Warburton has confirmed Gould was among a number of candidates sounded out about the job and Bulldogs chairman John Khoury even phoned Warriors owner Mark Robinson to ask about the possibility of the former premiership-winning mentor switching clubs.

Gould, who guided Canterbury to the 1988 premiership in his first season of coaching, performed a similar role at Penrith and has been credited for helping to turn the Panthers into NRL title contenders by focusing heavily on developing junior talent.

Speaking with long-time Balmain, NSW and Australia teammate Steve 'Blocker' Roach for the New South Wales Rugby League's 'Turn Back Time' series, Elias opens up on the difficulty of breaking into rugby league as a diminutive youngster of ethnic background in the early 1980s and the coaches who influenced his career along the way.