Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has opened up on his second half spine switch, which saw Stephen Crichton shift into a ball-playing role in a bid to spark his side’s attack.
Canterbury went down 24-16 to the Knights, who were valiant in defence and also held a 16-0 halftime lead — stunning Ciraldo’s outfit with forward pack ambush.
Staring at his side’s halftime deficit, Ciraldo decided to give Crichton a license to roam and get the ball in his hands, while Matt Burton shifted to the left centre role.
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According to Ciraldo, it was fatigue that prompted his decision — as well as a need to find points, and fast should the Bulldogs be in with a chance of winning.
“Yeah, there was obviously a lot of fatigue in the game with that 60-40 possession,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“We need Critta (Crichton) getting the ball in his hands. So we needed him to get in and be closer to the action and try to manage the energy of both Burto (Burton) and Critta.
“I thought he showed some great signs, when he got closer to the action and got the ball in his hands and we looked a bit more dangerous there.”
His decision did bare fruit, with Burton scoring a second-half double and Sean O’Sullivan joining the action from the pine as a primary playmaker.
Canterbury’s spine has long been a point of discussion under Ciraldo, who made the decision to put his faith in young gun Lachlan Galvin as his first-choice halfback.
In doing so, he let Toby Sexton depart for the Super League, but questions have remained regarding Galvin’s ability to lead a side in the No.7 jersey.
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So, after shifting his spine on the fly, Ciraldo was quizzed on whether Crichton could make a permanent switch to the halves.
“Oh look today it was just like what can we do to change the course of the game right now,” he said.
“He’s trained in that position a lot over the last two pre-seasons and those guys are pretty interchangeable.
“But you know, obviously Burto was out five-eighth and Critta was out centre today but we needed to do something to change the energy of the game.
“I thought both those guys, that move actually helped us get some more energy and get a bit more footy in our play.”
Crichton, meanwhile, explained he enjoyed his new role.
“I think just being on the ball, running the ball, putting other people in, into better spacing and things like that,” Crichton said.
“And I feel like when the ball’s in my hands, I feel like I’m in the game and I’m enjoying the game as well and I kind of get lost just standing out there for a bit.
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“So, yeah, I think I need to find a balance into not waiting for the coach to bring that message down to go inside and kind of do it on my own.”
The Bulldogs have managed only 60 points across their opening four games, an average of 15, highlighting their struggles to cross the white line.
Compare that with a regular season average of 22.25, and Canterbury have some improvement in the bank according to Ciraldo, who believes it comes down to finishing chances.
“It’s a very deep question. Like, there’s a lot that goes into that. If you look at a lot of the data and the stats over the first three rounds, we are creating a lot,” he said.
“But we’re just not finishing those opportunities and as I said, like the Knights were really brave. They got a lot of try saves, especially in that first half and that’s what wins games.”
As for his overall assessment of his team in their shock loss?
“Just disappointed with the performance, we were nowhere near where we wanted to be and credit to Newcastle,” he said.
“They probably did to us what we wanted to do to them, so definitely deserved the win… I thought we started quite well. Newcastle were really brave to get a couple of stops and saves.
“And then when they got their chance, they executed and got points straight away. Maybe we lost our way a little bit after that.”