Phil Gould

Phillip Ronald Gould (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 Gould was born in Sydney, New South Wales in January 1958. He played junior rugby league with Wentworthville Magpies.

Playing career Graded by Penrith in 1976, he spent two years in the lower grades, before becoming a regular first-grader in 1979. 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.

Gould moved to Newtown in 1981,

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 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. 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 following comments he made around the state of the game and refereeing decisions. In the 2025 NRL season, Gould came under scrutiny by sections of the media and by supporters for the recruitment of Wests Tigers player Lachlan Galvin. Gould initially told the media that he had never spoken to Galvin and that the club had no interest in signing him but later announced his signature weeks afterwards. Galvin's inclusion in the squad was reported to have caused disharmony as he had been earmarked to take over from starting halfback Toby Sexton with Sexton being demoted to the interchange bench or out of the team. Some sections of the media labelled this the "Galvin Effect" as after Galvin's inclusion of the team was confirmed, the club slid from first on the table to fourth before being eliminated from the finals in straight sets.

Commentary Gould currently works as an expert for Channel 9 and Triple M radio during rugby league telecasts, including NRL, State of Origin and International rugby league 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, as well as his catchphrases including "dear oh dear oh dear", "no no no no no" and "let the ball bounce, you invite disappointment into your life".

Honours 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". Gambling 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. 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.” This comment was the subject of a complaint to the ACMA who ruled it was not political comment.