NRL Grand Final 2020: Defensive coach Cameron Ciraldo praised as unsung hero of Penrith’s great season
‘He’s a special coach’. The Panthers love the influence of assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo on the team and the story behind his unique bet with the players is a triumph for the discipline he preaches.
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Kim Ciraldo walked into the Commonwealth Bank and asked to withdraw $500.
“But could I have it in $5 notes please,” she asked.
The bet would be paid — but nothing inside the always-buzzing Penrith dressing-room ends without a punchline.
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Smiles are free, but the best defensive side in the NRL has cost Penrith assistant coach and ‘Minister for Defence’, Cameron Ciraldo, $500 from his own kick.
Much has been written and said about the sizzling attack of this powerful, fast and free-wheeling Panthers side.
But if defence wins premierships, Penrith are halfway to victory against Melbourne on Sunday night.
Ciraldo, always searching for an inspiring angle, a story to share about the club’s history or a colourful form of motivation for his players to keep tackling, decided he’d cough up his own cash if he had to.
Ahead of Penrith‘s final game of the regular season against Canterbury in round 20 at ANZ Stadium, Ciraldo proposed a bet to his players.
If the Panthers could finish the entire season by keeping their opposition to an average of 12 points or less, he would part with $500.
The kicker was, to record the rare feat and collect their cash, the Penrith unit couldn’t allow Canterbury to score a point.
An average of 12 or less points conceded had only been achieved twice before in NRL history, ironically by their grand final opposition, the Storm in 2007 (11.5 points conceded per-game) and in 2008 (11.8).
The Panthers beat the Bulldogs 42-0 in the final round to finish the season with an incredible average of 11.9 points conceded per-game.
So with her husband unable to exit the COVID-19 bubble, Kim stopped in at the bank to withdraw a hundred $5 notes.
At the end of a team meeting, Ciraldo flung the fives into the air, happy to part with the cash, but not as happy as the hooting and hollering players.
Penrith director Greg Alexander praised Ciraldo’s coaching and said as much as he’s proud of the Panthers cohesion in attack, he knows the backbone to the team and to winning competitions is defence.
“When you look at games over the last 20 years, it‘s the best defensive sides that normally play in the grand final,’’ Alexander said.
“This year we’ve got teams one and two.
“And Penrith have got a very good defensive coach in Cameron Ciraldo. He’s a special coach.
“I think both the attack and the defence feed off each other. You can‘t be one and not the other.
“If you‘re just a good defensive side that can’t score tries, well you burn yourself out.
“Defence is all about effort, willingness and determination.
“It‘s about process and technique, but most of it is about effort.
“You can see in the boys how they celebrate tries and how much energy is in them, for what they‘re doing — that’s defence.
“Energy and a willingness to get there and make the tackle.
“There‘s no looking, waiting or watching for someone else to do it and that’s what these boys have been coached to do.’’
Originally published as NRL Grand Final 2020: Defensive coach Cameron Ciraldo praised as unsung hero of Penrith’s great season