Bulldogs confirm NRLW coach Blake Cavallaro has left the club before inaugural season

Canterbury will embark on a desperate search for a new head coach four months before the start of the NRLW pre-season after confirming Blake Cavallaro has departed the club.

Canterbury CEO Aaron Warburton has confirmed NRLW coach Blake Cavallaro has left the club, insisting his departure was on “good terms.”

Preparations for Canterbury’s inaugural season descended into chaos last week after news emerged Cavallaro was set to leave the Bulldogs.

The speculation was finally confirmed by the Bulldogs on Monday morning.

“In the last little while we have parted ways, it was on good terms,” Warburton told SEN.

The confirmation leaves the Bulldogs in search of a new coach only months out from the start of the NRLW season.

Cavallaro’s appointment at Canterbury was announced last May, in a role that was also set to include the overall female pathways at the Belmore club.

The Bulldogs had been busy building an impressive inaugural roster, which included the marquee signing of star halfback Tayla Preston from Cronulla.

Blake Cavallaro was appointed as the Bulldogs' inaugural NRLW coach in May, 2024. Credit: Bulldogs.

Joining Preston are Raiders playmaker Ash Quinlan, fellow Sharks recruits Andie Robinson, Teagan Dymock and Holli Wheeler, as well as Dragons guns Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, Alexis Tauaneai and Maatuleio Fotu-Moala have all joined for 2025.

Cavallaro has extensive pathways experience having spent the past 12 years in a number of different roles at the Sydney Roosters, including wellbeing and development.

The NRLW season is set to kick off in July, with pre-season starting in May, with the Bulldogs joining the Warriors in a 12-team competition.