Hansen’s arrival comes after the appointment of Trent Barrett as head coach, with David Furner and Craig Sandercock appointed as his assistants for 2021.

Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill expressed his pleasure following Hansen’s appointment.

‘Being able to bring Steve Hansen on board as a high-performance consultant with the club is tremendous news for everyone associated with the Bulldogs as he is one of the most highly respected figures throughout all of sports,’ he said.

‘Steve will work closely with our coaching and management staff, in addition to our players leadership group.

‘To be able to have someone with Steve’s record and background work with our staff and players will be a great asset to our club.

‘He was responsible for being a major driving force behind one of the most successful sporting brands in history and his knowledge and thoughts on areas such as leadership, high performance, preparation and team ethic will be invaluable to our club.

‘Steve has already developed a relationship with Trent Barrett, after Trent spent some time with the All Blacks in recent seasons and we believe that his knowledge and insights will be of tremendous benefit moving forward.’

Photo: Dan Peled/EPA