Cameron Ciraldo is a bona fide “sicko”. That is Toby Sexton’s description, delivered with a grin and affection.
“It’s always been about attack because that’s just easy to do. But the day I walked in here, Cam made it clear that defence needs to be the first priority ... He’s a sicko for defence.” “The Bulldogs remain patient and they have the ability to check, release and move onto the next person, which has a domino effect to the players on the outside of them,” former Canterbury champion turned pundit James Graham explained on Fox Sports in the lead-up to last Friday’s win over Cronulla.
Opposition teams are limited to 1475 running metres a game as the Bulldogs swarm up off their defensive line, again trailing only the Panthers. “I can’t give out all the tricks, but I guess it’s just who can stay in their system the longest. Penrith are really good at it, obviously. They’ve been doing it for a long time now and they go for the whole 80 minutes.”last week’s golden point triumph over CronullaEleven changes to the Bulldogs squad from Ciraldo’s first season to his second, with Raymond Faitala-Mariner’s exit heralding a complete, 30-man turnover from the 2021 roster, have yielded a small, mobile forward pack.
Whenever Ciraldo has been questioned about one of the NRL’s starkest defensive turnarounds this year, the word culture is where he has repeatedly turned.