Inside Bulldogs 2024 rebuild: Psychology behind Cameron Ciraldo’s recruitment, brutal training methods
Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo is using tactics employed by Wayne Bennett and Ivan Cleary to inject new life into battling Bulldogs as he prepares to correct a disastrous 2023 campaign.
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It’s the tried and true method of rebuilding an NRL club employed by supercoaches Wayne Bennett and Ivan Cleary that will put the ‘sound bite’ into Belmore.
Canterbury will return to pre-season training next week with one of the biggest roster turnovers of the league, headed by superstar signing Stephen Crichton.
A former student of Bennett in his time as the Newcastle Knights recruitment manager before embarking on a psychology degree, Alex McKinnon has likened Canterbury’s new squad to those built by coaches with ten premierships between them.
Not only did the Dogs finish well below where many anticipated (15th on the ladder), but the club was also rocked by talk of player unrest due to Ciraldo’s hard-line coaching tactics.
Meanwhile, Fox Sports Stats has uncovered another alarming statistic that reveals how Canterbury also has the highest turnover of players for the last six years (since Des Hasler’s departure in 2017).
But rather than get caught up on the negative focus that has dominated discussions, McKinnon pointed to the recruitment of former Panthers in Crichton and Jaeman Salmon, along with Josh Curran, Blake Taaffe, and potentially Connor Watson, as high octane individuals whose personalities will make Ciraldo’s job considerably easier in coming months.
However, it is confidence that also comes with a warning shot of more short term pain at a club that has not played finals football since 2016.
PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND BULLDOGS’ REBUILD
While the Bulldogs have made a significant number of signings, the jury is out if loading up on a group of players who previously struggled to be regular starters at other NRL clubs is going to help Canterbury get back to anywhere near the top of the ladder anytime soon.
While Crichton is world class and former Warrior Curran at his best is a representative class backrower, some of the others on the list haven’t exactly won widespread support.
Bronson Xerri was a top shelf talent at the Sharks before copping a drug ban, while Salmon and Taaffe were considered back up players at the Panthers and Rabbitohs respectively.
The Dogs are also expected to bring in Knights utility Kurt Mann, along with Roosters Mr Fix It Drew Hutchison, while Watson has also been linked to a switch (even though he was not included in the Roosters’ departing players list).
But McKinnon can see exactly what the Bulldogs are trying to achieve.
“Do you think the Dogs think they are going to do well?” McKinnon questioned, when asked if he thinks the Dogs will make top eight in 2024.
To put it in context, he pointed out that the likes of South Sydney, North Queensland, Manly and Parramatta all missed the finals this season, which will make it incredibly competitive.
McKinnon was convinced even Canterbury’s brains trust would privately concede more tough times are ahead.
“If I am the GM of football or the head of recruitment there, I’m sitting down with the CEO and the coach and I’m looking at the other teams, and I’m thinking we are going to be in for a long year,” McKinnon continued.
“But then you say, ‘How do we best move forward and develop these young players?’
“Well, we support these good young players with experienced or seasoned NRL players. Players that can still hold their gloves up, but also bring some personality to the week in, week out, workplace.
“The reality is they are going to be up against it.
“But how can they continue to progress forward and not get bogged down in losing, and everybody thinking that they are going worse than they probably are?
“Gus is a smart bloke.
“He would have recognised that they are facing some real challenges, and he needs people who can bring some personality.
‘WAYNE EMPOWERS PERSONALITY PLAYERS’
“I can only speak from my experience, but you take Wayne (Bennett).
“He knows the type of player who suits his personality. That responds to his coaching. How he likes to motivate and get the best out of people.
“I know Wayne always empowers those personality-type players.
“Your Wendell Sailors and Allan Langers and Willie Masons.
“There is no coincidence those are Wayne’s favourite type of players because that is not the type of person Wayne is.
“Wayne needs an Allan Langer to bring that energy to his group every week because Wayne can’t bring that.
“And if Wayne is going to talk seriously to people, and talk the way that he does, well, if it is always like that the players probably aren’t going to respond the way that is needed.
“But if he is able to bring people in with energy, and he changes the tone to be serious, he will get a much better response.
“You also look at somewhere like Penrith.
“Penrith has a lot of those sorts of people who create a lot of noise and a lot of energy and add excitement to the workplace. And someone like Ivan just wouldn’t bring that.
“I have spoken to Ciraldo and those are the type of players he is trying to buy.
“People who can bring the noise, who can bring the energy and the excitement.
“Particularly if you are a team that is losing, your workplace can be really tough.
“It is already tough week in and week out in the NRL.
“But if you have a team that is really introverted and quiet, to get yourself up for every week is really tough.
‘WHO HOLDS BOOMBOX AT PENRITH?’
“I look at the recruits they’ve signed and I guarantee they bring personality.
“Who is the guy that holds the boombox at Penrith? Stephen Crichton.
“Blake Taaffe is a high energy type of guy.
“Jaeman Salmon is not short of an opinion.
“Connor Watson is one of the most optimistic and best people I have met in rugby league.
“Josh Curran is that sort of character.”
TURNOVER REFLECTS INSTABILITY
The Bulldogs’ massive player clean-out also comes on the back of the revelation of a damning statistic revealing that Canterbury now has the highest turnover of overall players in the NRL over the past six years.
Fox Sports Stats show that since 2018 the Bulldogs have used 94 players at NRL level, which is the most of any club.
That is followed by the Warriors (86), Tigers (85), Broncos (81), Dragons (79), Titans (74), Knights (74) and Eels (73).
At the other end of the scale (aside from the Dolphins, who have used 32 players but only entered the NRL in 2023), the Sharks have had the least turnover (62) ahead of the Raiders (64), Cowboys (68), Rabbitohs (69), Roosters (69), Panthers (70), Sea Eagles (70), and Storm (71),
What these stats show on the surface is that no matter how busy a club is in the player market, usually that instability is reflected in results.
Just looking at this list, it leaves little doubt that the clubs who have consistently struggled through this period have the greatest turnover, although the Broncos and Warriors came good in 2023.
These figures also highlight how during this period retired former skipper Josh Jackson was the only Bulldog to play 100 games or more.
In comparison, the Panthers and Storm lead the way in this category with the most 100 game-plus players (9). The Dogs also average only 29.29 NRL games per player, while the top clubs like the Panthers, Storm and Roosters are averaging 37 plus.
But McKinnon put those stats in context, taking into consideration not just player turnover, but the turnover of coaches as well and recruitment bosses.
“I find that when you have a high turnover in coaching staff and GM/recruitment manager, they want the roster to look like how they perceive it should look,” McKinnon explained.
“But there is no secret source.
“You can draw those trends and those stats from a lot of successful teams, but that was not necessarily the reason why they were successful.
“Look at Penrith a few years ago, they were so young and they won.”
‘GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES’
As much as McKinnon reckons Ciraldo has the makings of being a very good coach, he said everyone needs to show patience, and give him time to grow into the role.
“Ciraldo won’t know the type of players that he likes, that responds to his style of coaching, who can handle NRL, for probably two more years,” McKinnon added.
“He is going to make mistakes.
“But as long as you have the right guy who knows what he is doing and who can command a room, they need to stick with him and then he can learn as well.
“That is one of the realities of having a rookie coach.
“And he won’t know what type of players suit him for a couple of more years.
“The high turnover is not going to stop now.”
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