NRL 2023: Phil Gould launches Canterbury Bulldogs review after damning failure in Cameron Ciraldo’s first season as coach

Cameron Ciraldo was seen as the Bulldogs’ saviour and handed a five-year mega-deal. But now Phil Gould will launch a probe into their football operations after a season of failure.

Phil Gould will launch a review into the Bulldogs in Cameron Ciraldo's first year as coach.

Football boss Phil Gould will conduct a sweeping review of Canterbury as besieged Cameron Ciraldo declared he is the right coach to fix the strife-torn Bulldogs.

Ciraldo opened up about the state of the Bulldogs, reflecting on Canterbury’s year from hell ahead of their final game of the season against the Titans on Sunday at Cbus Super Stadium.

In the wake of a drama-charged week at Belmore, Ciraldo revealed “we will review everything” as Canterbury supremo Gould prepares to leave no stone unturned to ensure the Bulldogs hit back as a finals force in 2024.

The lowly Bulldogs (7-16) will finish third last if they fail to beat the Titans and have missed the finals for the seventh consecutive season — Canterbury’s worst playoffs drought in 64 years.

Canterbury’s Cameron Ciraldo won seven games in his first season as an NRL head coach. Picture: NRL PHOTOS

THE COACH

The 38-year-old Ciraldo was hailed as the rising coach who would restore Canterbury as a powerhouse after serving a title-winning apprenticeship under Ivan Cleary at Penrith.

Instead, his debut year has been a disaster.

Tipped as a finals chance, the Bulldogs have won just seven games, have the worst defence in the league and are embroiled in a potential legal dispute after a player walked out on the club last week citing mental-health issues.

Such was the confidence in Ciraldo, Bulldogs hierarchy handed him a mega five-year deal. Former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold was sacked two seasons into a five-year term, but Ciraldo is adamant he can get the Bulldogs firing.

“Yes I do,” Ciraldo said.

“I believe in the people I’ve got around me, the systems we have in place and the direction of the club.

“That’s what gives me the confidence that we will turn it around. But the only thing that turns it around is if we work hard. The whole organisation has to get stuck in, myself included, and things will turn.

“This club is built on the values that I value as well, so once we get back to acting like Bulldogs, we will turn it around pretty quickly.”

The spotlight is on the Bulldogs’ squad. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

THE REVIEW

Nothing happens at Belmore without the knowledge of ‘Gus’ Gould.

Gould’s gargantuan persona makes him one of the most polarising figures in the game. For all his critics, Gould delivered success to two clubs as coach, Canterbury and Penrith, starting with a Bulldogs premiership triumph in 1988 before a watershed title at the Panthers three years later.

Now, as head of football, the pressure is building on Gould to put the Bulldogs under a forensic microscope and find solutions.

The Broncos have hit back as a premiership contender this season after an internal review last year and Ciraldo confirmed a full-scale analysis of operations is coming to Belmore.

“We will be reviewing everything. We will review everything,” Ciraldo said.

“There’s a number of reasons for our performances and the post-season is the best time to figure out exactly why.

“We have learnt some lessons along the way and this is a different group to the group I have coached before (at Penrith).

“We’ve had to make adjustments to our squad and to the style of play we have.

“It’s been a big week this week but I need to get the side ready to play this Sunday.”

Ciraldo and Viliame Kikau haven’t been able to recreate their success from their time together at Penrith. Picture: NRL Photos

DEFENCE RESTS

Ciraldo has outlined his blueprint to bring back the famous Dogs of War.

Canterbury’s defence this season has been woefully flimsy.

They have conceded more than 700 points for just the third time in Canterbury’s famous 88-year history.

If the Dogs concede 48 points against the Titans on Sunday, a highly unlikely but not totally implausible scenario, Ciraldo’s class of 2023 will surpass Steve Folkes’ 2008 squad as Canterbury’s worst defensive side.

The numbers cut Ciraldo deep. He says it’s time to stop the rot and reprise Canterbury’s miserly defence of the 1980s and 1990s _ starting on Sunday as a springboard to a ruthless new epoch in 2024.

“Defence is my passion,” he said.

“That’s what I enjoy coaching.”

Asked about the Dogs of War, Ciraldo said: “That’s how I want my teams to play, with a strong defensive mindset.

“We’ve lost that a little bit lately for a number of reasons, but the majority of defence is attitude and we need to find the right attitude against the Gold Coast this weekend. We need to defend a lot better than we have been.

“The main principle is discipline and working hard. We haven’t been disciplined, we have given away too many penalties and we haven’t been working as hard as we should be.

“If there are two things to fix this weekend, I’d like us to fix those two things in defence.”

Phil Gould is finding his Bulldogs rebuild a tough task. Picture: Julian Andrews

THE PRESSURE

There is a view Ciraldo is feeling the heat as an NRL coaching greenhorn.

Last week, this masthead exclusively revealed a Canterbury insider had doctored quotes – attributed to Knights players – to fire up Bulldogs players before their game against Newcastle two weeks ago.

“I don’t want to comment on that,” Ciraldo said.

Asked how he is handling the off-field dramas, he said: “It’s not hard in my eyes, it’s my job.

“My job is to turn up and do my best to get the team prepared on the weekend and improve players every day.

“That’s all I have been thinking about.

“I have to get past all the noise at the moment and get the guys ready to play.

“I want us to finish strongly against the Titans.”

THE CULTURE

Mid-season recruit Toby Sexton, who faces his former Titans club on Sunday, insists there is no revolt against Ciraldo.

“I have found Cam outstanding,” Sexton said.

“He is honestly beyond anything I expected.

“He is the best coach I have ever had and I’ve only known him eight weeks.

“There’s no unrest here. We can’t control external stuff as a football side, but Cam is 12 months ahead of where he was last year and as a club, we know we need a big pre-season.

“What I like with Cam is that you always know where you stand with him. On top of that, his standards and what he expects is so high.

“He has come from a Penrith system where all they did was win, so he knows what it takes to win.

“Canterbury’s culture over the last three or four years has been a losing one. It takes time to recover. It won’t happen overnight, but I believe Cam is the coach to bring the good times back here.”

Jacob Kiraz is one of the Bulldogs’ bright prospects. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

THE FUTURE

Ciraldo believes the addition of Steve Crichton, Blake Taaffe and Jaeman Salmon will edge the Bulldogs towards finals credibility next season. In Sexton, he believes Canterbury has a long-term game manager at halfback.

“There’s some good signs for the future,” he said. “Our kids got a really good taste of NRL this year.

“Jacob Kiraz has been really impressive, he has shown he wants to come in every day and work hard and improve. He has shown a real love for footy.

“Jacob Preston has done a really good job in his debut year to play so consistently.

“Toby is a good kid. He has the footy IQ, the work ethic and the personality of a seven. If he is willing to put in the work, there’s no reason he can’t be a long-term No.7 here and do a really good job for us.

“We are excited by the guys we are bringing in for next year but I would like to finish strong this weekend and get a win against the Titans.

“That would be a good way to build into next year.”

Originally published as NRL 2023: Phil Gould launches Canterbury Bulldogs review after damning failure in Cameron Ciraldo’s first season as coach