The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs head into a season-defining NRL clash against the Penrith Panthers on Friday with two much-needed pieces of positive news, after navigating a disruptive COVID-19 outbreak within the squad that sidelined eight players earlier this week. Head coach Cameron Ciraldo has confirmed that all eight affected players have been cleared to take the field, keeping his side’s fragile 2024 finals hopes alive ahead of the virtual elimination final.
The cluster was first identified on Monday, when eight players and two support staff were isolated from the main training group as a precaution. The disruption even forced retired former Bulldogs outside back Steve Turner to step in to fill the fullback position for a light training session, with Ciraldo also forced to miss the session amid precautionary protocols. But speaking this week, Ciraldo downplayed the severity of the outbreak, noting the entire squad was cleared for Thursday’s captain’s run at Belmore Sports Ground, including club captain Stephen Crichton, who was among the players to contract the virus.
“It was probably a little bit blown out of proportion,” Ciraldo told reporters. “A couple of weeks ago we had influenza A go through the camp that hit a number of our guys pretty hard, so we were extra cautious when a few boys started getting runny noses this time around. It was just a precautionary move at the start of the week to separate the group after our light early-week session, and we kept them apart until after our scheduled day off. Everyone was back in full training yesterday, preparations went really well, and we’re all excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”
Along with the clear medical bill of health for his squad, Ciraldo received a second major boost on Wednesday, with young edge forward Jacob Preston signing a four-year contract extension to remain at Belmore. The deal ends months of speculation that the rising star back-rower would enter the free agent market on November 1, with two expansion franchises, the proposed Brisbane Bears and Gold Coast Chiefs, linked with aggressive approaches to poach the 20-something talent.
Club powerbroker Phil Gould led the re-signing negotiations, and Ciraldo said the outcome is a massive vote of confidence in the culture the Bulldogs are building. “It’s been awesome watching Jacob’s journey over the last four years – he’s grown so much both as a player and as a person, and we’re really excited to have him around for a lot longer,” Ciraldo said. “Jacob was always very clear: he loves this club, he loves the environment we’ve built here, and he believes he can play his best footy right here. I was always confident he wanted to stay, and we wanted to keep him, so I’m just happy it’s all done now. I don’t get involved in the contract details – that’s between Gus, Jacob and his management – but this is a great result for the whole club.”
All focus now turns to Friday night’s clash at Penrith, a match the Bulldogs must win to keep their post-season aspirations alive. Currently sitting two points behind the eighth-placed North Queensland Cowboys, who hold the last finals spot, Canterbury knows only a win will keep their 2024 campaign alive. In a promising sign for the club, the Bulldogs already upset the Panthers in round 6, handing the reigning premiers their first loss of the 2024 season.
Instead of looking at the big-picture pressure of the match, Ciraldo said his squad is focused only on the 80 minutes of play ahead. “We’re not talking about what’s on the line in the grand scheme of things,” he said. “We’ve got a very short-term focus: we just want to stay present throughout every minute of the game. If we can do that and play our style of footy, we’ll give ourselves a good shot. There’s no point worrying about anything that happens outside those 80 minutes.”