Gus gets his man Ciraldo to Dogs
CAMERON Ciraldo is the new coach of the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The Penrith defensive coach and lead assistant to Ivan Cleary has agreed to a five-year deal with the Bulldogs from next year.
Ciraldo will enter the NRL furnace as the youngest coach in the game when he turns 38 in October.
Hugely respected by the Penrith players, Ciraldo broke the news at training on Sunday.
It is believed Ciraldo told the players that his decision not to take up an option to remain with the premiers as an assistant for 2023 and beyond was difficult and emotional.
The move is based on a belief that he is ready to take the next step in his coaching career and lead a powerful Sydney club with financial backing, a rich history and a developing roster.
Ciraldo’s strong relationship with Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould was also a major factor.
The arrival of the rookie coach at Belmore will all but guarantee star five-eighth Matt Burton, whom Ciraldo coached at Penrith, will commit to the club long-term.
Widely regarded as the next best coach-in-waiting, Ciraldo’s long apprenticeship was spent at Penrith.
He was integral in the development of every player from last year’s Penrith
premiership-winning side, having first stepped into a coaching role as the club’s NYC under-20s assistant in 2014.
He was promoted to the NYC under-20s head coaching job the following year and led the side to the 2015 premiership.
He also took over as Penrith’s first grade interim coach for the final six rounds of the 2018 season following the sacking of Anthony Griffin.
His decision to take over from former Canterbury coach Trent Barrett and current interim coach Mick Potter has been determined after months of discussions with Gould.
Those discussions began after Ciraldo knocked back a five-year deal from the Wests Tigers in June.
Ciraldo’s exit will leave Cleary needing two new assistants at Penrith next year following the departure of attack coach Andrew Webster to take the top job at the Warriors.
Ciraldo will finish the season at Penrith and has told the players his aim is to help steer them towards back-to-back premierships.