NRL 2022: Braidon Burns tips brutal pre-season under Cameron Ciraldo

Josh Jackson has seen coaches come and go at Canterbury, which is why he’s so excited the club has given Cameron Ciraldo the keys to the kennel.

Cameron Ciraldo has many reasons to smile. Picture; Matt Blyth/Getty Images

Braidon Burns spent two seasons being coached by Cameron Ciraldo while playing Holden Cup at the Panthers and has warned his Bulldogs teammates to expect hell when the most in-demand man on the market takes over next year.

“I did two army camps with him in the pre-season, so it’s going to be tough,” Burns said.

“I’ve done a couple of his under-20s pre-seasons and they were tough, so I think he might want to put his foot down when he takes over next year.”

Cameron Ciraldo and Brent Naden celebrate after winning the 2015 Holden Cup grand final. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Ciraldo’s early years in the under-20s competition gave a clear insight into his potential as a coach, with Penrith making back-to-back grand finals, including premiership success in 2015.

Success has followed him to the NRL where he’s helped the Panthers make the past two deciders, winning last season’s grand final over South Sydney.

Teams have been chasing his services for a while now but he’s officially off the market, with the Bulldogs landing Ciraldo on a five-year deal as the club looks to become a powerhouse once again.

“He knows what it takes to win,” Bulldogs skipper Josh Jackson told the NCA NewsWire.

“The Panthers have been in the last two grand finals and won it last year, so he knows what successful teams look like. He knows how they train, what their traits are and what it takes to get them to win, so I think that’s really important.”

Jackson spoke with Ciraldo on Monday just to touch base, and you could see the excitement in the veteran’s eyes knowing that the club he loves finally has some long-term security after churning through three head coaches and a couple of interims since he debuted in 2012.

Josh Jackson with former Bulldogs coach Des Hasler. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“To have a coach come in and put their structures in place and bring coaches and players that they want and feel will be successful takes years,” he said.

“In the past, the coaches that have come in haven’t had that much time, so I think it’s a great move to bring him here for five years.”

Some see the length of the deal as a gamble, but according to Burns, Ciraldo is the perfect man for the job because he knows how to develop raw talent into something more.

“He values the stuff that nobody sees,” Burns said.

“He was a great coach. He found ways to get the best out of his players, and I think the way he approaches the game and what he values will be really good here.

“I’m not too sure if his philosophies have changed since then, but I’m really looking forward to him coming here.

“I was a young bloke coming through the 20s and I’d grown up coming through the rugby union systems. I hadn’t played rugby league since I was under-12s, so he taught me all the structural stuff.

“I think he’ll be huge for the younger players because he understands the game so well and communicates with everyone really well.

“We’re all excited to crack on next year.”

Ciraldo has worked closely with Nathan Cleary, arguably the best player in the NRL. Picture: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt

Superstar winger Josh Addo-Carr met Ciraldo a couple of months ago while doing sprint training and says it’s fate that he now gets to be coached by a man touted as rugby league’s next big thing.

“I think it was a sign,” he said.

“I’m stoked that we’ve finally got a coach here long term who can help us boys be the best players that we can be. I think he’s the type of coach who can help us do that.”

Originally published as NRL 2022: Braidon Burns tips brutal pre-season under Cameron Ciraldo