Cameron Ciraldo has proven himself to be an outstanding young coach. He might also be the most ruthless we\u2019ve seen in at least the last 40 years of rugby league.<\/p>\n
Throw in all the coaches who have had longevity and success during this period \u2014 from Jack Gibson to Warren Ryan, Wayne Bennett, Tim Sheens, Bob Fulton, Des Hasler, Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart, Ivan Cleary and Trent Robinson.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve chewed the fat with a few other dinosaurs around the game this week and we certainly can\u2019t remember any of those great coaches ever punting a halfback and a hooker in the same season, let alone this late in the year.<\/p>\n
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Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Dogs looking to secure top 4 spot | 02:16<\/p>\n Yet what makes cutting Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney to bring in Lachlan Galvin and Bailey Hayward even more ruthless is the fact the Bulldogs were sitting on top (or at least up near the top of the ladder) when Ciraldo made the calls.<\/p>\n Add to that the fact that since Ciraldo signed with the Dogs three years ago, the Bulldogs have chewed up and spat out a total of 22 other players, according to the Fox Sports Lab.<\/p>\n In fairness, many of those early decisions would have been heavily influenced by Phil Gould, and there\u2019s no question the roster was in desperate need of a major clean out.<\/p>\n But in more recent times Ciraldo has well and truly grabbed the steering wheel back from Gus, and he\u2019s made no apologies for some of the most brutal calls we\u2019ve seen from a coach in decades, if not ever.<\/p>\n In no way is this a criticism of Ciraldo because up until this point almost every call has paid dividends for his club.<\/p>\n But the fact is how the Bulldogs finish the season will be judged more harshly than their meteoric rise has been labelled an outstanding success, purely because of the controversial decisions to axe Sexton and Mahoney.<\/p>\n READ MORE NRL<\/p>\n LATEST: Reason behind Smith\u2019s police questioning revealed as NRL make statement<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018HE\u2019S A MATE, BUT…\u2019: Braith\u2019s Sharks blowtorch as roster truth, shock trend exposed<\/a><\/p>\n Up until now Ciraldo has also only ever received tremendous support from not only his playing group but also former Bulldogs players who line up to sing his praise for having the balls to make the big calls.<\/p>\n But you\u2019d be surprised how many former players you talk to over the years think differently about past coaches who made similar tough calls against them.<\/p>\n And as time rolls on and the bodies mount at the Bulldogs\u2019 graveyard, rightly or wrongly, you can bet there will be former players who end up feeling the same about Ciraldo.<\/p>\n Not that surviving in the cutthroat world of NRL coaching is about winning the popularity contest.<\/p>\n There is no question to be a great coach and have longevity in the job requires making tough calls, where coaches must put emotion aside and go with what they think is best for the team.<\/p>\n Thinking back to some of the biggest bombshells in recent decades, the Roosters\u2019 decision to bring in Cooper Cronk over the top of Mitchell Pearce ranks up with the most ruthless. Although that happened after the season, and it was ultimately Pearce\u2019s call to leave the club and sign with Newcastle.<\/p>\n Then you go back to the early days at the Broncos and Bennett\u2019s decision to sack the legendary Wally Lewis was another that caused huge public backlash.<\/p>\n As did Paul Vautin\u2019s exit from Manly to the Roosters in the late 1980s when Fatty was told he\u2019d have cop a massive pay cut to stay.<\/p>\n Probably the closest I can remember to what Ciraldo has done now was when the late Graham Murray dumped then NSW Tri Series hero Noel Goldthorpe during the 1997 Super League season to make way for a rookie named Brett Kimmorley at the Hunter Mariners.<\/p>\n Or in more recent times one that gets overlooked was Bellamy\u2019s decision to axe Brodie Croft when the Storm were leading the comp in 2019.<\/p>\n That was to make way for a speedy young fullback named Jahrome Hughes to move into the halves for the charge into the finals.<\/p>\n Six years down the track and Bellamy\u2019s decision has aged like a fine wine.<\/p>\n Ciraldo has similarly put huge trust in both Galvin and Hayward that they are not only the future of the club, but the future is now.<\/p>\n Canterbury Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied<\/p>\n Despite all the controversy that greeted Galvin\u2019s arrival, the Bulldogs have so far been able to shut down every question about how shunting Sexton could potentially destabilise the team through their form on the field.<\/p>\n In Hayward\u2019s case, he\u2019s now 24 and always had a quality about him that suggested he would eventually end up in the starting team, the only question was at what position.<\/p>\n But after watching Hayward\u2019s super impressive showing in last round\u2019s top four shootout against the Warriors, you get the feeling he\u2019ll own the No 9 jumper at the Bulldogs for some time to come.<\/p>\n Both have another huge test this Friday night when the Bulldogs tackle the inform Roosters.<\/p>\n And as the finals edge closer the pressure is only going to mount not only on Galvin and Hayward, but also Ciraldo, as rival coaches set out to try and expose and exploit any weaknesses that always exist in relatively inexperienced NRL players, especially when they play in the all-important spine.<\/p>\n It\u2019s up to Galvin and Hayward to prove they can repay Ciraldo\u2019s faith, because the coach has certainly showed how ruthless he is prepared to be if things don\u2019t meet his expectations.<\/p>\n FIVE MILLION REASONS WHY DOLPHINS DESERVE MORE SYMPATHY THAN BRONCOS<\/p>\n The Broncos have no excuses when they take on the Dolphins in Saturday night\u2019s Brisbane blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.<\/p>\n While the Broncos are reeling from the triple blow of losing Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo, you haven\u2019t heard too much complaining from the Dolphins despite the fact they are without the best part of $5 million of their salary cap.<\/p>\n In comparison, I reckon the Broncos would be at least $1 million better off when it comes to their casualty ward.<\/p>\n Just go through the names Kristian Woolf is missing at the Dolphins starting with Herbie Farnworth, Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Felise Kaufusi, Max Plath, Jack Bostock, Daniel Saifiti and Francis Molo.<\/p>\n That\u2019s almost half of their best 17 right there.<\/p>\n