Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo is looking ahead to the “new competition” when the finals kick off next weekend, willing to put Saturday night’s 24-6 loss to the Sharks in the rearview mirror.

It was a tough night for the Bulldogs, who lost two key outside backs to injuries. Bronson Xerri will miss at least a week after suffering an early category 1 head knock while winger Marcelo Montoya limped off with a potentially serious ankle injury.

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“It’s not looking great for Marcelo. It’s a bit early to say [that his season is done] but he’s in a fair bit of pain,” Ciraldo said.

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“We’re lucky to have a bit of depth there. A guy like Enari Tuala was our best player and he’s made the most of his opportunity, and it looks like somebody else will get one too.

“(Jacob) Kiraz is progressing well but next week could be a stretch.”

Jethro Rinakama is the favourite to replace Montoya while Matt Burton could switch into the centres for Xerri, which could open the door for Toby Sexton to return to the halves.

Ciraldo admitted it was a difficult game for his players to get up for given no matter the result, the Bulldogs were locked into a qualifying final against the Storm next Friday night.

Craig Fitzgibbon sets sights on finals | 03:38

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“I’m glad that’s over and we can get on to the next phase of the competition,” Ciraldo said.

“Obviously we were nowhere near our best and that’s what happens when your mindset is slightly off.

“We were a bit impatient with the ball, a bit excitable. Probably our fault, we didn’t put too much emphasis in attack this week as there was nothing to play for.

“But we have been the third most consistent team all year, and we deserve to finish where we are. It hasn’t been perfect the last little period, been up and down, but we deserve to finish third and give ourselves the best chance over the next four weeks.

“Disappointing tonight. We had a home crowd of 30,000, but it is what it is.”

Despite the loss, Ciraldo is confident his team will be able to right the ship for the finals.

“It’s a totally different game once you get to finals. There’s a lot more ball in play, there’s a lot less stoppages. I think our game will be much more suited to it than the game has been the last two weeks,” Ciraldo said.

Fox League’s Braith Anasta noted that even after the result and the dual injury blow, Ciraldo was ‘stoic’ in the Bulldogs press conference.