Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs head coach Cameron Ciraldo has defended his playing group over the constant criticism faced by the club this year.
After finishing in third place last year, the Bulldogs were expected to be a force to be reckoned with during this season.
However, expectations were not met as they finished 12th on the ladder and were unable to find any rhythm towards the back end of the season.
According to The Herald, Ciraldo said his players had to deal with a lot of criticism.
“There is a lot of outside noise... There is a lot of stuff these guys have to deal with," Ciraldo said during the club's awards night.
“When they grew up dreaming of being NRL players they would not have thought about the sh*t they have had to deal with ... the way they stuck together, blocked it out is a credit to the players."
Ciraldo believed their failure to make the finals this season will only force success next season and in the future. He also revealed there was a multitude of players who continued to play through the season despite injury.
“People say that our slump defined our season, but it's going to define our success in the future,” he said.
"Max King broke his jaw playing against Penrith and played almost a full game ... Vili Kikau tore his pec against Brisbane and tried to play for another 10 to 15 minutes. Jacob Preston broke his arm a few weeks later and tried to stay on the field for another 10 minutes.
“Stephen Crichton returned four weeks early from AC injury in his shoulder to try and help the team. Jaeman Salmon had two surgeries on his finger and refused to miss a game. The hardest-working person in that time was our doctor … he put that many painkilling needles into players ... I've never seen anything like it."
Ciraldo and the Bulldogs will be looking to regroup after the season break and head into pre-season with a successful 2027 campaign on their minds.
