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March 18, 2026 \u2014 12:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n If Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri needs a template on how to deal with the disappointment of being dropped, his coach reckons he should look no further than former teammate Toby Sexton.<\/p>\n Xerri has been banished to the NSW Cup, with Cameron Ciraldo preferring Enari Tuala for Thursday\u2019s round three NRL clash with Canberra. Ciraldo said the decision was less about Xerri\u2019s opening-round performance against the Dragons in Las Vegas and more about \u201ca number of other factors around training and preparation and things like that\u201d.<\/p>\n One of those factors was Xerri\u2019s reaction to being switched from left to right centre, to accommodate skipper Stephen Crichton. Ciraldo described Xerri\u2019s initial reaction to be dropped as \u201cdisappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of people in the NRL who have reactions that they regret and probably feel like they could have reacted better,\u201d Ciraldo said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat happens nearly every day in an NRL club, and Bronson might have had one of those moments.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately for him though, his reaction was leaked to the media. That\u2019s where I feel quite sorry for him in that regard because there\u2019ve been plenty of players who have gone home and had a little bit of a whinge and then come back the next morning and got on with it. His sort of got put on the front page straight away.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cI feel for him in that regard, but in terms of what we do here, we\u2019re a club with a very deep history, 90 years of history, and there\u2019s a clear sign written on the wall well before I got here about \u2018club first, team second and individual third\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sign will be here a long time after we\u2019re all gone. It\u2019s our duty in the meantime to make sure we uphold those values and the DNA of our club.\u201d<\/p>\n Ciraldo said Xerri, who was injured for much of the pre-season, should look no further than Sexton for inspiration. Sexton lost the Bulldogs No.7 jersey to recruit Lachlan Galvin last year, worked on areas of his game in reserve grade without complaint, and was recalled at the back end of the season.<\/p>\n While there ultimately wasn\u2019t a long-term place for Sexton at the club, the way he handled himself endeared him to Canterbury fans and earned him subsequent contracts with the Catalans Dragons and Perth Bears when they enter the NRL in 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a great example,\u201d Ciraldo said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back too much to last year, but he was a great example of dealing with disappointment and getting on with your job \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cYour first response, sometimes you can\u2019t control, but your second response you can.<\/p>\n \u201cSo his response right now is to go back to reserve grade and be the best possible player he can be and force his way back into the NRL team. Bronson Xerri at his best will force his way back into our team somewhere, but the ball\u2019s totally in his court.\u201d<\/p>\n Xerri is contracted until the end of 2027, and while he hasn\u2019t requested a release, there\u2019s speculation he could do so if his stint in the NSW Cup isn\u2019t brief.<\/p>\n Asked if Xerri had been told he wouldn\u2019t earn a contract extension beyond 2027, Ciraldo said: \u201cI haven\u2019t been part of every conversation with contracts and with managers and things like that. I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s true, but I\u2019m not totally sure to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Canterbury players were wearing \u2018We before me\u2019 t-shirts as they boarded the bus at their Belmore quarters for the road trip to the nation\u2019s capital. Ciraldo said it is a timely reminder of what\u2019s expected of all players at the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love Bronson, he\u2019s been an important part of our group over the last couple of years,\u201d Ciraldo said.<\/p>\n![\"Bronson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/560d897935c51b7c10736ab10a137aa4226030af.jpeg\")
Bronson Xerri and Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0d1491337dde91fa0ed9a21ab543c3df717e7cd1.jpeg\")
Former Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton.Getty Images<\/p>\n
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