Price joins Bulldogs challenge

A ticket comprising some of Canterbury’s biggest names, including former Warriors skipper Steve Price, will take on chairman Ray Dib and the incumbent Bulldogs directors at February’s board elections.

Bulldogs legends and premiership-winning internationals Chris Anderson, Paul Dunn and Price are among those submitting a challenge to the establishment before yesterrday’s cut-off for nominations.

The ticket is headed by Lynne Anderson, the daughter of legendary Bulldogs supremo Peter Moore and wife of fellow board contender Chris. Lynne Anderson, the chief executive of the Australian Paralympic Committee and a former Bulldogs staffer, recently resigned from the Gold Coast Titans board to avoid conflicts of interest.

The other members of the ‘‘reform group’’ are John Ballesty, a former Wallaby and Roosters star, businessman John Khoury and Nick Dimas, a former Bulldogs director and senior executive at the Subway Group. However, the star power will come from the Andersons, Price and Dunn, who have decided to run after witnessing what they perceive as the erosion of the unique culture of the ‘‘family club’’.

‘‘We’ve been on the sidelines with the Bulldogs for a few years now and it’s a given in professional sport that you’re not going to win every year,’’ Lynne Anderson told Fairfax Media.

‘‘But what we’ve seen over the last few years in particular has been a real decline and movement away from everything that’s good about the club.’’

It has been a difficult 12 months for the Bulldogs. They missed the finals for the first time in five seasons and had to move on a host of players, contracted and otherwise, after overshooting the salary cap.

However, Anderson said the tipping point was the sacking of coach Des Hasler.