Dogs divide: Training ground punishment becomes a heated and emotional debate

A Bulldogs training ground incident has driven one of their own away and split the game asunder. BRENT READ digs into the issue and the ramifications for the club.

Cameron Ciraldo is trying to turn the Bulldogs around. Picture: Getty Images

Rugby league certainly moves fast. On Monday, as the fallout from the South Sydney dramas continued, Latrell Mitchell and the Rabbitohs were still dominating the news cycle.

By Tuesday night, the focus had switched to battling Canterbury and a training ground incident that has driven one of their own away and split the game asunder.

I was driving home on Thursday afternoon when a former player called to have his say on claims a Bulldogs player had taken mental health leave after being forced to wrestle more than 20 of his teammates as a form of punishment when he was deemed to have turned up late for training.

The former player couldn’t believe the story. His view was that the Bulldogs player at the centre of the dispute was in the wrong. If you can’t handle that, how can you handle first grade was the gist of the argument.

That has been one side of what has become a heated and emotional debate – is there any other kind with Bulldogs supporters? Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo has made no secret of his desire to toughen up his playing group, weeding out the weak.

Cameron Ciraldo wants to toughen up the Bulldogs playing group. Picture: NRL Photos

The former player was firmly in his camp. The day before, a current player had called after reading the story. He said he would have stepped in and stopped it.

He slammed the club’s leaders for standing by and watching the Bulldogs player punished to the point of exhaustion after being barely 10 minutes late for a training session.

In his view, it was indicative of a club that was lacking in leadership. The split wasn’t restricted to current and former players.

There were similarly divergent views among rival club officials, although most seemed to suggest the punishment was archaic and from a bygone era.

Those in that camp pointed out that little could be achieved by putting a teammate on show.

Some, however, backed Ciraldo and head of football Phil Gould as they attempt to lift a once-great club out of the doldrums.

The issue has been divisive and it is one I have wrestled with myself. On one hand, I can understand Ciraldo’s stance given the way the Bulldogs have played this year.

Their lack of resilience and mental fortitude has been reflected in the way they have capitulated on a weekly basis.

The Bulldogs have capitulated on a weekly basis. Picture: NRL Photos

Hard work is non-negotiable with great teams and great players. Legendary quarterback Tom Brady was notorious for it. After one defeat, having caught a private flight with the team back to New England and then a shuttle bus back to their home base, Brady headed into the stadium as his teammates jumped into their cars and headed home.

It was three o’clock in the morning. Rather than head to bed, Brady wanted to watch the game again. He slept at the stadium and was still there when his teammates arrived in the morning.

Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney waxed lyrical about the former world No.1’s training regimen. He called it digging in the dirt. Woods’ day started at 6am and didn’t finish until the sun was going down. He won 15 majors and may be the greatest player that ever lived.

Michael Jordan took every loss as a personal insult, whether it was at training or in a game. He was tough on his teammates – one went to see a psychiatrist to better learn how to deal with Jordan – but even more so on himself.

Tom Brady was notorious for his hard work. Picture: Getty Images

Being on time for training is non-negotiable. As one current player put it, turning up late for shows no respect to your teammates, let alone your coach and the club. If you’re late off the field, you will be late on it.

Yet there must be better ways than telling a bloke to get to his knees and take on his teammates one by one. Cultural change can’t start by embarrassing players to the point where they have no desire to return.

Maybe legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson summed it up best.

“You don’t get the best out of people by hitting them with an iron rod.” he wrote in his book ‘Leading’.

“You do so by gaining their respect, getting them accustomed to triumphs and convincing them that they are capable of improving their performance.

“I cannot think of any manager who succeeded for any length of time by presiding over a reign

of terror. It turns out that the two most powerful words in the English language are, ‘Well done’.”

If anything, the past week has further highlighted the job confronting Ciraldo. Gould has backed his coach but it seems hard to believe he has a grasp on what is happening at the club given he isn’t always at games and is often distracted by his commentary commitments with the Nine Network.

The club is basically in his hands yet he isn’t always on the ground. Even so, chair John Khoury seems happy to let Gould take charge. His future is tied to Gould’s ability to turn the club around and whispers continue that he will face a challenge in February when election day arrives.

It certainly seems hard to believe Bulldogs fans would be happy with the current progress of their club. By then, we should know how this has all played out. The game will no doubt have moved on. Let’s hope the Bulldogs and their player have as well.

STORM SENSATION SHINES LIGHT ON SELECTION DILEMMA

Sua Fa’alogo lived up to the hype on Thursday night as he produced a thrilling debut for the Melbourne Storm. In the process, he may have shone the light on a rugby league anomaly that officials may be forced to investigate down the track.

Fa’alogo is Melbourne born and bred. As such, he doesn’t qualify for Queensland or NSW. He’s a long way off State of Origin right now, but if he keeps playing like he did against the Broncos, the day may arrive when he is good enough to demand a jersey at that level.

At some point, he may be good enough to play for Australia but held back by the fact he is unable to play Origin. The time is fast approaching when it will become an issue for the game.

Storm rookie Sualauvi Faalogo lived up to the hype in his NRL debut. Picture: NRL Photos

As for the Storm, their issue will be keeping all the fullbacks they have at their disposal. Nick Meaney has been a revelation this year for Melbourne but Ryan Papenhuyzen’s return means the club is blessed with two quality No.1s.

There seems a distinct chance Fa’alogo will need to be factored in the No.1 discussion down the track. The Storm’s ability to find and cultivate fullbacks is becoming a thing of legend.

Mind you, it helps having a guy like Billy Slater in your corner. It is no coincidence that the Storm’s ability to churn out quality fullbacks has come with Slater on the coaching staff.

He was a great player and is quickly becoming a great coach.

Originally published as Dogs divide: Training ground punishment becomes a heated and emotional debate