Cameron Ciraldo’s Defensive Blueprint Fuels Bulldogs’ Unbeaten Start
The Canterbury Bulldogs are off to a flying 5-0 start in 2025, sitting atop the NRL ladder and relishing a well-earned bye week before their much-anticipated Good Friday clash with the Rabbitohs. While star signings and a revitalised roster have played their part, the man at the heart of this transformation is head coach Cameron Ciraldo — the defensive mastermind quietly reshaping the Bulldogs in the mold of the all-conquering Panthers.
There are striking parallels between what Ciraldo is building at Belmore and the defensive dynasty he helped craft at Penrith, where he laid the foundations for their four-premiership run. Now, he’s orchestrating a similar evolution at Canterbury, and the results are beginning to speak volumes.
Names like Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, and Viliame Kikau bring championship pedigree from their Panthers days, but it’s Ciraldo’s systems and standards that are setting the tone. Backed by the strategic oversight of Phil Gould, who has overhauled the Bulldogs’ junior pathways, the club now boasts a depth of talent capable of stepping up without derailing momentum when injuries hit key players.
The defensive improvements are hard to ignore. In his debut season at the helm, Ciraldo’s Bulldogs conceded 95 points over the first five rounds — not dismal, but far from elite. The next season saw similar numbers. But in 2025, the team is not only conceding fewer points, they’re making significantly fewer errors, with missed tackles down by nine per game.
Young centre Bronson Xerri has become the poster boy for this defensive resurgence. Reflecting on his journey, he admitted the transition was tough: “It was a big shock to me when I first came here,” Xerri said. “But once you buy into it and believe in the system, that’s when you really start becoming a Bulldog.”
“It’s not easy. It’s based on effort and hard work, so it’s good to see that it’s paying off.”
With belief, structure, and discipline all aligning, the Bulldogs are no longer just rebuilding — they’re roaring back into contention, and Cameron Ciraldo is the quiet force behind it all.
