Steve Mortimer will lend his heavyweight support to Canterbury chairman Ray Dib at the upcoming elections after satisfying himself the Bulldogs are on track to regain the culture that made them the "family club".
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The blue and whites have gone back to their roots by reappointing Mortimer to the board and installing former players Dean Pay and Andrew Farrar as coach and head of football respectively. There was a feeling that Canterbury had gone away from the values that made the club so successful in its halcyon years under patriarch Peter "Bullfrog" Moore.
Mortimer and fellow great Terry Lamb felt the club was losing its way under previous coach Des Hasler, one of the few coaches who hadn't previously played for the Bulldogs.
Mortimer stepped down from the board after questioning the direction under Hasler, but accepted Dib's invitation to again become a director after Pay's appointment.
Bringing former Dogs back into the fold has been viewed as a shrewd political move by Dib, whose board will be up for re-election in February. However, Mortimer said Dib's only motivation was to ensure the Bulldogs return to their glory days.
"This is not about me, it's about the Bulldogs," Mortimer said.
"It's about what Terry Lamb said in finding our DNA again - and I don't think there's a problem there.
"The reason I'm doing it is out of respect for Ray Dib.
"I know there are other people who might have a different [opinion], but I have known Ray for 30 years and he's an absolute gentleman, he puts people before himself."
Mortimer's support of Dib was crucial at the 2014 elections when another former player, Paul Dunn, ran against the chairman. Dunn is considering putting together a ticket when members next go to the ballot box after a series of dramas at the club, including Hasler's alleged extension and sacking, a poorly managed salary cap and the controversial turnover of the playing roster.
Mortimer's support will again be crucial, although Hasler's intention to sue the Bulldogs over his contractual dispute could sway some fans. The man affectionately known as "Turvey" predicted there would be a new era of success under Pay.
"I'm absolutely delighted he's doing this," Mortimer said.
"The thing about Dean Pay is he's the same as me, my brothers or anyone else who came to us from the country - he's a Dubbo boy doing his best. He wanted to coach after [playing] and good luck to him.
"Ray Dib was very astute in picking a coach with a Bulldog background. The wonderful thing is that Dean Pay is looking at our junior rugby league and looking at developing players to play for those clubs because he believes there's nothing better than having local players capable of playing in the NRL.
"I feel comfortable being a director of the Bulldogs now because I can see a pathway as to where we are going.
"When I resigned, the last person's hand I shook was Des' and I wished him all the best."
Mortimer believed the club was getting back to the values instilled by Moore.
"Not many people realise Peter Moore was my mentor when I first came down when I was 19 years old to play for Canterbury-Bankstown," he said.
"That gave me a hell of a lot of confidence. Peter liked my style of play and along with my brothers he looked after us very well. We were very blessed."
