Cameron Ciraldo, the coach of Canterbury, maintains that the Bulldogs’ brief NRL finals run was not deterred by Josh Addo-Carr’s drug scandal.
However, as the NRL season draws to a close, Ciraldo questions whether his team’s comeback attempt can be genuinely deemed a success.
After losing 24–22 to fast-finishing Manly in the second elimination final at Accor Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs were eliminated from the playoffs.
The outcome came after Canterbury’s turbulent ten days, during which their star winger Addo-Carr refrained from playing out of concern that his presence would cause a media circus.
Addo-Carr watched from a distance as the Bulldogs dominated long parts of the game before losing to a late match-winning goal from Tolu Koula after additional examination of his roadside sample revealed a positive result for cocaine.
Ciraldo, however, didn’t think the controversy took his attention away from his team’s preparations.
It’s difficult to say if it made a difference or not, but I felt we handled it really well. For me and the playing group, having a leader like Gus (head of football Phil Gould) was fantastic,” Ciraldo remarked.
Every time you glance at the playing group, you ask yourself, ‘How is it impacting them?’ “This is not a distraction for us,” they told me. We’re ready to leave. And their preparation over the week was evident tonight.
“These players and our leaders deserve praise for their ability to divert attention from that and concentrate on finishing the task at hand tonight.”
Ciraldo was also happy with Jeral Skelton, the right wing substitute for Addo-Carr, who scored a try in the corner to give the Bulldogs a 10-point lead in the second half.
Skelton had only played eight NRL games, and it was his final one before joining the Wests Tigers for the upcoming campaign.
Ciraldo remarked, “Jeral has performed admirably for us each time he has taken to the field.”
The Bulldogs were heavily predicted to finish in the bottom four in the preseason, but under second-year coach Ciraldo, they soared to their first finals appearance since 2016.
Bronson Xerri performed admirably after his drug-free return, and new captain Stephen Crichton solidified his position as the season’s best buy and possibly Canterbury’s most significant acquisition in recent memory.
As the Bulldogs improved their defense and won over neutral league supporters, Kurt Mann, Jacob Kiraz, Toby Sexton, and Connor Tracey all had career-best seasons.
However, Ciraldo wasn’t sure if he could call the season a success for the veteran NRL whipping boys after they missed out on a top-four finish and then lost in the first week of the finals.
He joked, “Can you ask me that tomorrow?”
Our cultural endeavors have been a huge success.
This year, we have added ten new recruits, and the contributions these young men have made to our program have altered the work ethic and the relationship.
An incredible turnaround made possible by many wonderful people who put forth a lot of effort. In many respects, the season is a success, but at the moment, it is difficult to consider.