While many have questioned the Bulldogs reported pursuit of Trent Barrett to succeed Dean Pay, former Knights coach Nathan Brown has applauded the club for quickly identifying their target.
Pay officially quit the ailing club on Monday, ending months of speculation surrounding the long-term security of his future with the Bulldogs winning just one game this season to sit in last place.
It's strongly believed Barrett, who is an assistant coach at Penrith under Ivan Cleary, will make the move to Belmore, with reports suggesting the Bulldogs had approached him while Pay was still coach.
Many of the NRL's key voices have challenged the Bulldogs for identifying Barrett to help rebuild the club, given the struggles he faced in his first head coaching job at Manly, where he lasted three years.
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While there have also been severe doubts over the stability of the club amid reports of ongoing infighting tearing the Bulldogs board apart.
But speaking on Triple M's Rush Hour, Brown said he admired the Bulldogs' proactive pursuit of Barrett, labeling it "good leadership".
"They've made a decision by the sounds of things about the coach they want and the style of coach they want is Trent Barrett and they're going hard to get him as apposed to interviewing six or seven people," he said.
"You'll see a club will interview six or seven people and three of them have all got the most different styles in the world.
"That tells me a club doesn't actually know what they actually need.
"Certain coaches have certain styles. Some coaches are great at improving players and bringing in players, some are better at 'I need older players who are more experienced and I know who to go and sign to make this club better - it's a very different skill set.
"What Canterbury has identified is what they believe is the right coach they need and they've gone and done it. To me, that's good leadership."
The Bulldogs are expected to announce their next coaching appointment in the coming weeks, with Barrett believed to be the man they unveil, despite links to veteran coach Anthony Griffin and Queensland coach Kevin Walters.
However, it's expected Barrett will hold off on joining the club until 2021 so as to not disrupt Penrith's quest for this year's premiership to continue overseeing the side's unstoppable attack.
