Phil Gould (rugby league)

Australian rugby league footballer, coach, administrator, broadcaster and journalist

Phil Gould

Personal information

Full name| Phillip Ronald Gould[1]
Born|  (1958-01-24) 24 January 1958 (age 66)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Playing information

Height| 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Position| Second-row
| Club

Years  | Team  | Pld | T | G | FG | P
1976–80  | Penrith Panthers | 23  | 2  | 49  | 1  | 105
1981–82  | Newtown Jets | 17  | 2  | 7  | 0  | 20
1983–85  | Canterbury Bulldogs | 40  | 3  | 1  | 0  | 13
1986  | South Sydney | 23  | 1  | 0  | 0  | 4
| Total  | 103  | 8  | 57  | 1  | 142

Coaching information

| Club

Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W%
1988-89  | Canterbury Bulldogs | 47  | 29  | 2  | 16  | 62
1990-94  | Penrith Panthers | 115  | 64  | 4  | 47  | 56
1995-99  | Sydney Roosters | 125  | 77  | 2  | 46  | 62
| Total  | 287  | 170  | 8  | 109  | 59
Representative
Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W%
1992-96  | New South Wales | 15  | 9  | 0  | 6  | 60
2002-04  | New South Wales | 9  | 5  | 1  | 3  | 56

Source: [2][3][4]

Phillip Ronald Gould AM (born 24 January 1958), also nicknamed "Gus", is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and formerly a player and coach. He works as the General Manager of Football for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).

## Background

[edit]

Gould was born in Sydney, New South Wales in January 1958. He played junior rugby league with Wentworthville Magpies.[citation needed]

## Playing career

[edit]

Graded by Penrith in 1976, he spent two years in the lower grades, before becoming a regular first-grader in 1979.[5] Following the retirement of Penrith's British import star Mike Stephenson, Gould was selected as captain of the Panthers at the age of 20, becoming the youngest New South Wales Rugby League premiership captain since Dave Brown led Easts in the 1930s. The 1979 season marked the beginning of injury troubles for Gould which ultimately kept him on the sidelines for most of 1980 and which recurred later in his career. Specifically Gould suffered an eye injury which posed a risk of separation of the retina.[citation needed]

Gould moved to Newtown in 1981,[5] where Warren Ryan was still honing his innovative coaching approach that transformed the way that top-grade rugby league was played in Australia throughout the next decade. After being also-rans for many years, a turnaround was achieved when Newtown made the 1981 Grand Final against Parramatta, though losing 20–11.

Gould signed with Canterbury in 1983[5] under Ted Glossop, losing in the final to Parramatta 18–4. By now Gould had become regarded as an astute ball-playing forward. Years of playing "smart" to avoid further eye damage had tuned his ball distribution and organising skills.[citation needed] In 1984, under Warren Ryan at Canterbury, Gould was expected to be selected for City Firsts. However, he broke his ankle the afternoon before the selections were announced and did not get back to first grade before season's end[citation needed], taking no part in the club's 6–4 Grand Final win over Parramatta.

Injuries also took a toll on Gould's 1985 season with Canterbury. He played only 14 first-grade games[5] that year and captained the reserve-grade side into the semi-finals.

After leaving Canterbury at the end of that season, Gould played the final year of his career with South Sydney in 1986, taking the field in 23 first-grade games.[5] It was a springboard to his coaching career as Souths coach George Piggins – himself in his inaugural coaching year – welcomed Gould's opinion and insight on tactics and encouraged Gould to take a leadership role. Souths finished as runner-up in the minor premiership and Piggins was awarded Dally M coach of the year.

Overall, in his playing career, Gould made 103 first-grade appearances across four clubs.[5]

## Coaching career

[edit]

### National Rugby League

[edit]

A successful coaching career followed for Gould. His first five coaching seasons brought two premierships (with Canterbury in 1988 and Penrith in 1991) and a loss in a Grand Final (with Penrith in 1990). Following their 1991 grand final victory, Gould travelled with the Panthers to England for the 1991 World Club Challenge which was lost to Wigan.[citation needed]

While coach of the Panthers, during a 1994 match Gould was sent from his seat on the sideline to the dressing room by referee Bill Harrigan. Gould left Penrith for the Sydney City Roosters in 1995 (actually officially coaching the Roosters for the final game of the 1994 season after having departed Penrith mid-season), at a stage when the once high-flying Roosters club was continually dwelling at the bottom of the ladder. Before joining Easts, the Roosters had made the finals only once since 1983. A long rebuilding phase followed under Gould, enabling them to make some quality signings, one of the most important being Brad Fittler, the champion five-eighth/centre who had a close association with Gould at Penrith and with the NSW Blues. The Roosters were consistent semi-finalists from 1996 to 2004, though no Grand Final appearances came until 2000, the year after Gould had stepped down as coach and had been replaced in the top job by Graham Murray. Further Grand Final appearances followed in 2002, 2003 and 2004 under Ricky Stuart, who won a premiership in 2002, the Roosters' first since 1975.[citation needed]

### State of Origin

[edit]

In 1992, Gould took over as coach of New South Wales in the State of Origin series. The Blues were victorious for the next three series. In 1995, at the start of the Super League war, Gould's NSW side lost 3–0 to the Paul Vautin-coached team of relative unknowns patched together from the ranks of Queenlanders loyal to the ARL. The following year, NSW completed a series whitewash of its own with the Brad Fittler-captained Blues becoming the first and only team to go through a series with the same unchanged squad of 17 players. Gould then stood down, having inspired four NSW series wins in five years.

Gould returned to State of Origin coaching New South Wales from 2002 to 2004, winning two series and drawing the third. To date, he has been the most successful New South Wales coach.

## Coaching director

[edit]

During Ricky Stuart's tenure as coach at the Sydney Roosters Gould filled a role as Coaching Director at the club.

In May 2011, it was announced that Gould would take up the role of General Manager with the Penrith Panthers. The role was said by club chairman Don Feltis to include direct involvement in all aspects of the football club management particularly the coaching and team support operation. He left the club in 2019.[citation needed]

On 6 September 2019 it was announced that Phil Gould had joined the St. George Illawarra club as part of the end of season review and would take up a permanent spot at the club in 2020[6] He would not end up fulfilling this role.

In August 2020, Gould was announced to be joining the New Zealand Warriors as a club-wide consultant.

It was announced on July 16, 2021, that Phil Gould had been released from his official role with the Warriors to become the General Manager of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.[1], Gould would continue to have a link with the Warriors to provide assistance to their pathways staff.

On 2 May 2024, Gould was fined $20,000 and given a breach notice by the NRL after going on a rant during a live Channel 9 broadcast about the current state of the NRL. Gould said "Who sits and makes up these rules? … We are so stupid with our rules". Gould also went on to say "Leave the game alone. We are tearing it apart, It is really frustrating watching our game be torn apart by everybody bar the coaches and the players, it just drives me mad. Doctors, lawyers and fans on social media, that's all they listen to. They don't listen to players". After handing down the fine, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said "Destructive attacks on the game itself will not be tolerated".[7]

## Commentary

[edit]

Gould currently works as an expert for Channel 9 and Triple M radio during rugby league telecasts, including NRL, State of Origin and International football contests. He also does a weekly podcast called ‘Six Tackles with Gus’ co-hosted by Mathew Thompson. He also writes for the Sydney Morning Herald. He is considered controversial within rugby league fan circles for his blunt opinions about the playing and administration of the game. Many of his repetitious commentary catchphrases are used to criticise refereeing decisions: they include "dear oh dear oh dear", "no no no no no" and let the ball bounce, you invite disappointment into your life,.[8]

## Honours

[edit]

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List, Gould was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), for "significant service to rugby league football as an administrator, commentator, coach and player, and to the community".[9]

## Gambling

[edit]

In 2011, Gould spoke at a rally in favour of poker machines in which he called Julia Gillard "the worst prime minister in Australia's history" in part because of her proposed gambling reforms.[10] The same year while commenting on a game for Channel Nine Gould announced "the proposed mandatory pre-commitment that they’ve put forward is rubbish policy. It won’t work, it won’t solve the problem they say they’re going to target, and it will do irreparable damage to the hospitality industry. It won’t work, and it will hurt. You’re 100 per cent right. I’ve never seen a more stupid policy in my life.”[11][12] This comment was the subject of a complaint to the ACMA who ruled it was not political comment.[13][14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 2008's heros and villains. news.com.au (5 September 2008)
2. ^ Rugby League Project
3. ^ Rugby League Project Coaches
4. ^ NRL Stats
5. ^ a b c d e f Phil Gould. stats.rleague.com
6. ^ Gould return to Penrith. Smh.com.au (11 May 2011). Retrieved on 2016-07-16.
7. ^ "NRL hands Canterbury Bulldogs boss Phil Gould $20,000 fine over rant on Channel Nine". www.abc.net.au.
8. ^ Walshaw, Nick (24 September 2009) Phil Gould is worst rugby league commentator, say fans. The Daily Telegraph
9. ^ "The Queen's Birthday 2014 Honours List" (PDF). 8 June 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
10. ^ Fitzsimmons, Peter (29 October 2011). "Phil Gould's gambling rant hides bigger issue". Stuff.co.nz.
11. ^ Safi, Michael (20 October 2015). "Politicians fear being targeted by the gambling lobby, Rob Oakeshott says". The Guardian.
12. ^ Saulwick, Jacob (17 October 2011). "Nine admits it was responsible for pokies". Goulburn Post. subscription required
13. ^ Xenophon, Nick (4 June 2012), ACMA finding a los disguised as a win, retrieved 22 April 2023
14. ^ More pokies questions for Channel 9, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 27 October 2011, retrieved 22 April 2023

## External links

[edit]

* Phil Gould at IMDb

Sporting positions

Preceded by

Wayne Pearce
1999–2001

|  Coach

New South Wales State of Origin
2002–2004  | Succeeded by

Ricky Stuart
2005

Preceded by

Arthur Beetson
1994

|  Coach

Sydney City
1995–1999  | Succeeded by

Graham Murray
2000–2001

Preceded by

Tim Sheens
1991

|  Coach

New South Wales State of Origin
1992–1996  | Succeeded by

Tommy Raudonikis
1997–1998

Preceded by

Ron Willey
1988-1989

|  Coach

Penrith Panthers
1990-1994  | Succeeded by

Royce Simmons
1994-2001

Preceded by

Warren Ryan
1984–1987

|  Coach

Canterbury Bulldogs
1988–1989  | Succeeded by

Chris Anderson
1990–1997

Preceded by

Mike Stephenson
197?–1978

|  Captain

Penrith Panthers
1979  | Succeeded by

Darryl Brohman
1980

* v
* t
* e

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs squad – 1988 NSWRL Premiers (6th title)

* 1 Jason Alchin
* 2 Glen Nissen
* 3 Tony Currie
* 4 Andrew Farrar
* 5 Robin Thorne
* 6 Terry Lamb
* 7 Michael Hagan

* 8 Paul Dunn
* 9 Joe Thomas
* 10 Peter Tunks (c)
* 11 David Gillespie
* 12 Steve Folkes
* 13 Paul Langmack

* 14 Brandon Lee
* 15 Steve Mortimer
* 16 Darren McCarthy
* 17 Mark Bugden

* Coach: Phil Gould

* v
* t
* e

Penrith Panthers squad – 1991 NSWRL Premiers (1st title)

* 1 Greg Barwick
* 2 Graham Mackay
* 3 Brad Fittler
* 4 Col Bentley
* 5 Paul Smith
* 6 Steve Carter
* 7 Greg Alexander (c)

* 8 Paul Clarke
* 9 Royce Simmons
* 10 Paul Dunn
* 11 Mark Geyer
* 12 Barry Walker
* 13 Colin van der Voort

* 14 John Cartwright
* 15 Brad Izzard
* Coach: Phil Gould

* v
* t
* e

New South Wales State of Origin coaches

* 1980–1981 Ted Glossop
* 1982 Frank Stanton
* 1983 Ted Glossop
* 1984 Frank Stanton
* 1985 Terry Fearnley
* 1986–1987 Ron Willey
* 1988 John Peard
* 1989–1990 Jack Gibson
* 1991 Tim Sheens
* 1992–1996 Phil Gould
* 1997–1998 Tommy Raudonikis
* 1999–2001 Wayne Pearce
* 2002–2004 Phil Gould
* 2005 Ricky Stuart
* 2006–2007 Graham Murray
* 2008–2010 Craig Bellamy
* 2011–2012 Ricky Stuart
* 2013–2017 Laurie Daley
* 2018-2023 Brad Fittler
* 2024– Michael Maguire

* v
* t
* e

Penrith Panthers coaches

* Leo Trevena (1967)
* Bob Boland (1968-72)
* Leo Trevena (1973)
* Jack Clare (1974)
* Mike Stephenson (1975)
* Barry Harris (1975-76)
* Don Parish (1977-78)
* Len Stacker (1979-81)
* John Peard (1982-83)
* Tim Sheens (1984-87)
* Ron Willey (1988-89)
* Phil Gould (1990-94)
* Royce Simmons (1994-01)
* John Lang (2002-06)
* Matthew Elliott (2007-11)
* Steve Georgallis (2011)
* Ivan Cleary (2012-15)
* Anthony Griffin (2016-18)
* Cameron Ciraldo (2018)
* Ivan Cleary (2019-present)

* v
* t
* e

Penrith Panthers

Est. 1967 in Penrith, New South Wales

The Club|

* History
* Records
* Players
* Coaches
* Honours
* Representatives

Home ground|

* BlueBet Stadium
* Carrington Park
* Western Sydney Stadium (2025)

Culture|

* Western Sydney Derby

Important figures|

* Phil Gould
* Royce Simmons
* Izzard brothers
* Tim Sheens
* Alexander brothers
* Mark Geyer
* Steve Carter
* Ryan Girdler
* Preston Campbell
* Craig Gower
* John Cartwright
* Grahame Moran
* Tony Puletua
* Nathan Cleary
* Isaah Yeo
* Dylan Edwards

League|

* NSWRL
* ARL
* SL
* NRL

Premierships (6)|

* 1991
* 2003
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Seasons (58)|

* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Other
competitions|

Current
New South Wales Cup
Jersey Flegg Cup
S. G. Ball Cup
Harold Matthews Cup
Tarsha Gale Cup

Past
Amco Cup
NRL Under-20s
NSWRL Women's Premiership

Affiliations|

* Penrith District Rugby League
* St Marys Saints
* Windsor Wolves

* v
* t
* e

Dally M Coach of the Year

NSWRL / ARL|

* Roy Masters (1980)
* Bob Fulton (1981)
* Jack Gibson (1982)
* Bob Fulton (1983)
* Tim Sheens (1984)
* Roy Masters (1985)
* George Piggins (1986)
* Wayne Bennett & Don Furner (1987)
* Phil Gould (1988)
* George Piggins (1989)
* Tim Sheens (1990)
* Warren Ryan (1991)
* Graham Murray (1992)
* Chris Anderson (1993)
* Peter Louis (1994)
* John Lang (1995)
* David Waite (1996)

NRL|

* Chris Anderson (1998)
* John Lang (1999)
* Wayne Bennett (2000)
* Brian Smith (2001)
* Daniel Anderson (2002)
* Steve Folkes (2004)
* Tim Sheens (2005)
* Craig Bellamy (2006)
* Craig Bellamy (2007)
* Neil Henry (2008)
* Kevin Moore (2009)
* Brian Smith (2010)
* Craig Bellamy (2011)
* Des Hasler (2012)
* Trent Robinson (2013)
* Ivan Cleary (2014)
* Wayne Bennett (2015)
* Ricky Stuart (2016)
* Craig Bellamy (2017)
* Anthony Seibold (2018)
* Craig Bellamy (2019)
* Ivan Cleary (2020)
* Craig Bellamy (2021)
* Todd Payten (2022)
* Andrew Webster (2023)
* Craig Bellamy (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

*[Pld]: Played
*[T]: Tries
*[G]: Goals
*[FG]: Field goals
*[P]: Points
*[Gms]: Games
*[W]: Wins
*[D]: Draws
*[L]: Losses
*[W%]: Win percentage
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template