Canterbury great Steve Mortimer has increased the pressure on under-siege Bulldogs coach Des Hasler by claiming the club is losing its DNA under the reign of the former Manly mentor.

Hasler’s five-year reign at Belmore is believed to under threat with negotiations on a contract extension reportedly shelved amid concerns about the direction the is taking club on his watch.

An emergency meeting of club directors is taking place on Friday with the future of the coach to be discussed along with the performance of CEO Raelene Castle.

Mortimer, who is a director of both Canterbury leagues and football clubs told Fairfax media he’s not convinced Hasler is the right fit for the Bulldogs.

“I’ve had a couple of footballers say to me as a director ‘Turvey, we’re losing our DNA, the Bulldogs,'” Mortimer told Fairfax Media.

“I sat down with them and I’m saying, ‘I think we might be’.

“I’m old enough to have played two years with the Berries and I’ve got an idea of how the former coaches have strengthened the DNA of the Bulldogs in winning, getting up in the finals and even winning a premiership.

“The players who have come up to me saying we are losing our DNA and I’ve had a look at it and I understand what they’re talking about.

“That’s why the directors [want to] review this and look for the betterment of the Bulldogs to make them the greatest club and team.

“It’s about winning premierships. It’s about being up there. It’s about developing your own – even though I came from Wagga – good players. That certainly hasn’t happened over the last five years.”