Bulldogs head coach Cameron Ciraldo is set to be a few hundred dollars lighter after his team shut out the Knights on Sunday night.
Canterbury’s 20-0 win marked their first defensive clean sheet in over a year, propelling them to the top of the NRL standings with the league’s best defence. As a result of the dominant display, Ciraldo now owes the entire squad a round of coffee at training this week.
“Keeping them scoreless is always a big goal, but it does mean I’ve got to cover the coffee cart on Tuesday – so I guess it’s a win-win,” Ciraldo joked.
Reflecting on the match, he said: “I thought our performance was very professional. We laid a solid foundation in the first half and then really found our rhythm in the second.
“There are definitely areas in attack we’ll want to tidy up, but I’m really pleased with our defensive efforts – they’re improving week by week.”
Ciraldo acknowledged the strong start to the season but stressed the team is keeping their feet on the ground.
“We’re happy with how we’ve begun, but there’s still a long road ahead – you don’t win premierships in April,” he said. “We’ve got things to work on, and the upcoming bye gives us a chance to do that before the Good Friday game.”
The Bulldogs expect to welcome back key players Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau for their clash with the Rabbitohs, which Ciraldo said will spark some tough selection decisions due to the squad’s depth.
“There are a number of guys in NSW Cup who are NRL quality – that’s exactly what you want when building a strong club,” he said.
“Historically, Canterbury’s success has always been built on strong reserve grade teams, and that’s the model we’re following. We had several players out this week but the focus remained on the guys who were in – and they delivered.”
There was a scare when captain Stephen Crichton went down holding his shoulder in the first half, but he was able to play on.
“He said it felt like a burner he had last year. We thought he might have to come off, but he toughed it out – shows how resilient he is,” Ciraldo added.
