Latest news with #Ciraldo
Sydney Morning Herald
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ex-winger who was ‘too slow, too big' now a key man up front for Dogs
First he pounced on a Jason Saab fumble and bolted 12 metres to score the opener, then he crashed over from close range after an offload from Bulldogs fullback Connor Tracey. Yet Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo was more impressed with the tough carries and 27 tackles Hughes delivered during his 30 minutes than his tryscoring heroics. 'I thought his start to the game was really good, and his second stint,' Ciraldo said. 'He scored two tries and everyone sees that, but the stuff he's doing that front-rowers have to do, I thought he was brilliant at that.' Ciraldo said Hughes, who played all 25 games for Canterbury last season, was getting back to his best after undergoing ankle surgery earlier in the year. 'We missed him at the start of the year,' Ciraldo said. 'He had that syndesmosis injury and missed the first 12 weeks of the season. He was really good for us last year. 'He's just been building towards that. Last week it was hard to leave him out of the team … we wanted him to go back to NSW Cup and play big minutes. He went back and did that and totally deserved to come back into the team.' After the Bulldogs were knocked out in the opening round of the play-offs last year, they are on track for a top-two finish this season, and Hughes is confident they can do some damage in the finals. 'We're a different style of team, I reckon,' he said. 'We're real fit. We base our game [on] defence. You don't get picked in the team unless your defence is pretty good. So, yeah, we're a real defensive team, and I think that's what we'll need in those games.' It's a far cry from Hughes' debut season in 2023, when the Bulldogs won only seven games and finished third last. 'We got smashed [50-16] on my debut by the Bunnies on Anzac Day,' he recalled. 'That was one you don't want to really remember, but it was good, man. It was good to get out there [in the NRL].' Loading Hughes and NSW Origin representative Max King have formed a reliable front-row pairing for the Bulldogs that will be bolstered next season by the recruitment of Kiwi international Leo Thompson from Newcastle on a four-year deal. 'It's great competition,' Hughes said of Thompson's arrival. 'That's what we want. We want to beef up our middle pack. So it's great competition, man. It just pushes you to get better.'
The Age
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Ex-winger who was ‘too slow, too big' now a key man up front for Dogs
First he pounced on a Jason Saab fumble and bolted 12 metres to score the opener, then he crashed over from close range after an offload from Bulldogs fullback Connor Tracey. Yet Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo was more impressed with the tough carries and 27 tackles Hughes delivered during his 30 minutes than his tryscoring heroics. 'I thought his start to the game was really good, and his second stint,' Ciraldo said. 'He scored two tries and everyone sees that, but the stuff he's doing that front-rowers have to do, I thought he was brilliant at that.' Ciraldo said Hughes, who played all 25 games for Canterbury last season, was getting back to his best after undergoing ankle surgery earlier in the year. 'We missed him at the start of the year,' Ciraldo said. 'He had that syndesmosis injury and missed the first 12 weeks of the season. He was really good for us last year. 'He's just been building towards that. Last week it was hard to leave him out of the team … we wanted him to go back to NSW Cup and play big minutes. He went back and did that and totally deserved to come back into the team.' After the Bulldogs were knocked out in the opening round of the play-offs last year, they are on track for a top-two finish this season, and Hughes is confident they can do some damage in the finals. 'We're a different style of team, I reckon,' he said. 'We're real fit. We base our game [on] defence. You don't get picked in the team unless your defence is pretty good. So, yeah, we're a real defensive team, and I think that's what we'll need in those games.' It's a far cry from Hughes' debut season in 2023, when the Bulldogs won only seven games and finished third last. 'We got smashed [50-16] on my debut by the Bunnies on Anzac Day,' he recalled. 'That was one you don't want to really remember, but it was good, man. It was good to get out there [in the NRL].'
The Age
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Mann on a mission to become oldest Kangaroos debutant
He waited 12 seasons and more than 200 NRL games to make his State of Origin debut, becoming the oldest Queensland rookie since the late, great Arthur Beetson in 1980. Now, after helping the Maroons to a stunning series win, 32-year-old Kurt Mann is on track to belatedly realise another childhood dream by becoming the oldest player to debut for the Kangaroos. Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo believed Mann was the best utility player in the NRL when he signed him from Newcastle at the end of the 2023 season. His form since arriving at Belmore has only reaffirmed that opinion, with Ciraldo declaring Mann should 'definitely' be a candidate for Australia's three-Test series against England, which will be the Kangaroos' first Ashes tour in 22 years. 'I think they take 22 players over, and he'd be one of the first I'd choose,' Ciraldo said. If Mann plays during the Ashes series, which kicks at Wembley on October 25, he will become the oldest Kangaroos debutant – breaking a record that dates back 66 years. The only other player to have celebrated his 32nd birthday before first pulling on the green and gold was legendary hardman Billy Wilson, in 1959. If Mann is selected, he will be more than six months older than Wilson was at the time of his debut. Before his Queensland call-up this year, Mann wondered if age would count against him when it came to representative football.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Mann on a mission to become oldest Kangaroos debutant
He waited 12 seasons and more than 200 NRL games to make his State of Origin debut, becoming the oldest Queensland rookie since the late, great Arthur Beetson in 1980. Now, after helping the Maroons to a stunning series win, 32-year-old Kurt Mann is on track to belatedly realise another childhood dream by becoming the oldest player to debut for the Kangaroos. Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo believed Mann was the best utility player in the NRL when he signed him from Newcastle at the end of the 2023 season. His form since arriving at Belmore has only reaffirmed that opinion, with Ciraldo declaring Mann should 'definitely' be a candidate for Australia's three-Test series against England, which will be the Kangaroos' first Ashes tour in 22 years. 'I think they take 22 players over, and he'd be one of the first I'd choose,' Ciraldo said. If Mann plays during the Ashes series, which kicks at Wembley on October 25, he will become the oldest Kangaroos debutant – breaking a record that dates back 66 years. The only other player to have celebrated his 32nd birthday before first pulling on the green and gold was legendary hardman Billy Wilson, in 1959. If Mann is selected, he will be more than six months older than Wilson was at the time of his debut. Before his Queensland call-up this year, Mann wondered if age would count against him when it came to representative football.
The Advertiser
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Coach explains reason Dogs dropped Sexton for Galvin
Cameron Ciraldo says Canterbury had to make tough decisions if they want to take it to the NRL's best, after dropping halfback Toby Sexton to bring in Lachlan Galvin. Six weeks after arriving at Belmore, Galvin will play his first game alongside Matt Burton in the halves on Saturday against St George Illawarra. The decision to drop Sexton is one of the toughest of any team this year, after the former Gold Coast No.7 helped take the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder. But after falling to third in recent weeks, Ciraldo said he had to make the tough call in order to challenge the best sides. "The last little period we've been working really hard on our attack," Ciraldo said on SEN. "We've been trying to evolve our attack gearing towards the back end of the year, understanding what's going to beat those top teams who have really good defensive systems. "And we just felt like we weren't sort of getting there."Probably because we're sitting on a good part of the ladder people think you don't have to change. "But we're coming in every day wanting to be a better football team and wanting to be better players, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions around that." Ciraldo said he expected Galvin to benefit from being left out of last week's win over North Queensland, after spending the game with him in the coach's box. Since arriving as a mid-season signing from Wests Tigers last month, Galvin has played two games off the bench and twice started during State of Origin-impacted rounds. He now has eight games to fit into the Bulldogs' structures before finals. "Lachie has been showing some really good signs at training with his natural talent with the ball and with how he can unlock players around him," Ciraldo coach again rejected any suggestion Galvin's arrival had impacted squad harmony, and insisted it had not put unnecessary pressure on Sexton. Sexton has since agreed to move to Catalans in the English Super League next season, after the Bulldogs did not open negotiations for an extension. "He has improved a lot over time. Him leaving for a really good deal at Catalans makes us really proud of the environment we were able to create," Ciraldo said. "It was a tough decision (to drop him) because we love Toby and he's done a great job for us, and we're not giving up on him. "Everyone has that (selection) pressure. "I remember having that conversation with Jacob Preston at the end of last year telling him we were bringing Sitili Tupouniua in. "We've got jobs to do, but we've got a deep squad and that's the great thing we've been able to put together." Meanwhile, Ciraldo revealed Tupouniua was on track to return from a hamstring injury against the Dragons, provided he got through training on Thursday. Cameron Ciraldo says Canterbury had to make tough decisions if they want to take it to the NRL's best, after dropping halfback Toby Sexton to bring in Lachlan Galvin. Six weeks after arriving at Belmore, Galvin will play his first game alongside Matt Burton in the halves on Saturday against St George Illawarra. The decision to drop Sexton is one of the toughest of any team this year, after the former Gold Coast No.7 helped take the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder. But after falling to third in recent weeks, Ciraldo said he had to make the tough call in order to challenge the best sides. "The last little period we've been working really hard on our attack," Ciraldo said on SEN. "We've been trying to evolve our attack gearing towards the back end of the year, understanding what's going to beat those top teams who have really good defensive systems. "And we just felt like we weren't sort of getting there."Probably because we're sitting on a good part of the ladder people think you don't have to change. "But we're coming in every day wanting to be a better football team and wanting to be better players, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions around that." Ciraldo said he expected Galvin to benefit from being left out of last week's win over North Queensland, after spending the game with him in the coach's box. Since arriving as a mid-season signing from Wests Tigers last month, Galvin has played two games off the bench and twice started during State of Origin-impacted rounds. He now has eight games to fit into the Bulldogs' structures before finals. "Lachie has been showing some really good signs at training with his natural talent with the ball and with how he can unlock players around him," Ciraldo coach again rejected any suggestion Galvin's arrival had impacted squad harmony, and insisted it had not put unnecessary pressure on Sexton. Sexton has since agreed to move to Catalans in the English Super League next season, after the Bulldogs did not open negotiations for an extension. "He has improved a lot over time. Him leaving for a really good deal at Catalans makes us really proud of the environment we were able to create," Ciraldo said. "It was a tough decision (to drop him) because we love Toby and he's done a great job for us, and we're not giving up on him. "Everyone has that (selection) pressure. "I remember having that conversation with Jacob Preston at the end of last year telling him we were bringing Sitili Tupouniua in. "We've got jobs to do, but we've got a deep squad and that's the great thing we've been able to put together." Meanwhile, Ciraldo revealed Tupouniua was on track to return from a hamstring injury against the Dragons, provided he got through training on Thursday. Cameron Ciraldo says Canterbury had to make tough decisions if they want to take it to the NRL's best, after dropping halfback Toby Sexton to bring in Lachlan Galvin. Six weeks after arriving at Belmore, Galvin will play his first game alongside Matt Burton in the halves on Saturday against St George Illawarra. The decision to drop Sexton is one of the toughest of any team this year, after the former Gold Coast No.7 helped take the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder. But after falling to third in recent weeks, Ciraldo said he had to make the tough call in order to challenge the best sides. "The last little period we've been working really hard on our attack," Ciraldo said on SEN. "We've been trying to evolve our attack gearing towards the back end of the year, understanding what's going to beat those top teams who have really good defensive systems. "And we just felt like we weren't sort of getting there."Probably because we're sitting on a good part of the ladder people think you don't have to change. "But we're coming in every day wanting to be a better football team and wanting to be better players, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions around that." Ciraldo said he expected Galvin to benefit from being left out of last week's win over North Queensland, after spending the game with him in the coach's box. Since arriving as a mid-season signing from Wests Tigers last month, Galvin has played two games off the bench and twice started during State of Origin-impacted rounds. He now has eight games to fit into the Bulldogs' structures before finals. "Lachie has been showing some really good signs at training with his natural talent with the ball and with how he can unlock players around him," Ciraldo coach again rejected any suggestion Galvin's arrival had impacted squad harmony, and insisted it had not put unnecessary pressure on Sexton. Sexton has since agreed to move to Catalans in the English Super League next season, after the Bulldogs did not open negotiations for an extension. "He has improved a lot over time. Him leaving for a really good deal at Catalans makes us really proud of the environment we were able to create," Ciraldo said. "It was a tough decision (to drop him) because we love Toby and he's done a great job for us, and we're not giving up on him. "Everyone has that (selection) pressure. "I remember having that conversation with Jacob Preston at the end of last year telling him we were bringing Sitili Tupouniua in. "We've got jobs to do, but we've got a deep squad and that's the great thing we've been able to put together." Meanwhile, Ciraldo revealed Tupouniua was on track to return from a hamstring injury against the Dragons, provided he got through training on Thursday.
