Canterbury star Kieran Foran admits the players shoulder part of the blame for coach Dean Pay walking out on the NRL club on Tuesday.
Pay addressed the playing group about his decision to stand down on Tuesday morning after a dismal 1-8 start to the season that has them bottom of the ladder.
"It's been a difficult morning here this morning for everyone involved," Foran said on Tuesday afternoon.
"Dean's been a huge part of this club the last few years and poured everything in.
"To come in this morning and be told of the news, it's been a tough morning for everyone involved in the club."
Foran, who arrived at the Bulldogs at the same time Pay took over before the 2018 season, was thankful for his coach's support during his horror run with injury in recent years.
"That's been one of his greatest assets, the way in which he's stuck by the boys through thick and thin," Foran said.
"There's been a lot of stuff to deal with over the few years that he's been here and he's never wavered in his support for the club and players involved.
"I know from a player's point of view, we can't thank him enough for the support that he's shown to all of us over the years."
Foran said Bulldogs players would be well aware of how their form would contribute to a club's decision to part ways with a coach.
In the case of Pay, who was midway through the final year of his contract, the club great jumped before he was pushed.
"I think if you asked any player at any club that's playing, of course they play a role, don't they," Foran said.
"At the end of the day, we're the ones out there on the field and we're the ones that are trying to control what we can out there on the field and get the results.
"We've given it our all.
"But at the end of the day, we just haven't been getting the results."
Bulldogs players trained not long after Pay's exit, with assistant Steve Georgallis taking the reins as caretaker.
"Georgie's been pretty vocal so far this morning," Foran said.
"It's been a pretty hectic morning with everything that's going on. We didn't want to delay training.
"We thought the best thing for all the staff and players was to just jump straight into it, get out onto the field and pour our attention into this weekend's game."
It is understood another assistant coach, Steve Antonelli, also quit the club.
Australian Associated Press
