The Canterbury Bulldogs are privately defending their treatment of an NRL player who walked out of training five weeks ago due to mental health reasons.
The player, who hasn’t been named due to the seriousness of his mental state, turned up to training late for a session last month. He is in the top 30 squad but considered a fringe first-grader.
The Bulldogs are once again in a spot of bother.Credit: Getty
The coaching staff decided to enforce a punishment, which is a common practice at NRL clubs, asking him to wrestle up to a dozen of his teammates for an extended period at the end of training.
A week later he asked the club for time off due to personal reasons and hasn’t been back to training since. The club is still paying his contract.
The Bulldogs declined to comment when contacted on Tuesday night. The Daily Telegraph also reported that centre Braidon Burns walked out on a training session last week after suffering a hamstring injury and has left the club. The Herald has been told he trained on Tuesday.
It comes after the Herald reported on Monday that Bulldogs staff were aware of a text message that has been doing the rounds in recent days that claimed up to eight players were unhappy at the club under the coaching of Cameron Ciraldo.
The Bulldogs players earlier in the year.Credit: Getty
One of the grievances allegedly raised by some current players, and potential recruits, was a frustration over Ciraldo’s workload demands.
The message claimed that Ciraldo’s expectation for players to be around for training from 8am to 5.30pm was unrealistic and a deterrent for some players to join or remain at the club.
The Dogs’ performances of late, which have left many questioning the commitment of the players, speaks to a problem at the club. Those concerned about how hard or long training is appear to have their cards marked, with the Bulldogs expected to make a raft of changes once their season ends this weekend.
Ciraldo has a proven track record of success having worked hand in hand with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary to deliver two premierships at Penrith.
He has recruited players from clubs who have played for successful teams like Stephen Crichton (Panthers), Jaeman Salmon (Panthers), Liam Knight (Rabbitohs), Blake Taafe (Rabbitohs) and Siua Taukeiaho.
Ciraldo is expected to front the media for his weekly pre-game press conference on Wednesday.
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