Ciraldo crafted rugby league's best defence. Now, can he pull it apart?
He's taken the same system behind four consecutive Panthers premierships to Belmore, drilled it into a mobile and committed side and stuck to script all the while.
When asked about a breakout attacking performance from the Bulldogs, their 42-4 shellacking of Manly and Lachlan Galvin's role in said shellacking last Sunday, Ciraldo still turned straight away to his young halfback's defence.
Which might just be where Canterbury's attack starts.
The clunky offensive efforts might resurface against the Tigers on Sunday, particularly where Galvin is concerned, given the spotlight and pressure on him against the club he walked out on. The man of the moment was a teenager just two weeks ago.
But before the Bulldogs rattled up seven tries on the Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium, they absorbed a physical assault from Matt Lodge, Jazz Tevaga and company.
It wasn't quite Penrith-esque, but Manly hit hard and often. And the Bulldogs responded with offloads and second-phase play, just as the few teams who troubled the Panthers during Ciraldo's time did.
Canterbury's 10 first-half offloads and a near-perfect first-half (their first mistake didn't come until the 36th minute) took the sting out of Manly as Matt Burton ran straight and often and Galvin played a deft hand.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
3 hours ago
- Herald Sun
2025 Basketball SA District Finals live stream: Youth and Reserves prelim finals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's last chance saloon for South Australia's top ballers as they shoot for a grand final opportunity in the BSA District and Youth League preliminary finals. All four finals from the Under-21/23 and Reserves divisions will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV on Tuesday night. WATCH LAST WEEK'S MAJOR AND MINOR SEMI-FINALS WATCH THE JUNIOR DISTRICT LEAGUE FINALS ACTION A Jack Turnbull-led Sturt Sabres will be searching for answers in the Reserves Men preliminary final as they aim to bounce back to form against Central District Lions. The Lions will go into the contest with plenty of confidence after they beat their rivals by seven points the last time the two sides faced off mid-season. The high-flying Forestville Eagles await the winner in next week's grand final. Finally the West Adelaide Bearcats, who were stunned by the Eagles in last week's semi-finals, will need to regroup quickly against a hungry Sturt Sabres side. The Bearcats reserves women features a stacked line-up of talented playmakers, but they were left floored by an attack led by U18 SA Metro captain Olivia Tredrea and her sister Jemma. The Sabres feature their own impressive line-up led by gun shooter Chelsea Portus, and will be confident they can spring a second shock in as many weeks to book a grand final spot. South Adelaide Panthers Under-21 men will look to regroup after giving up a nine-point first-quarter lead in last week's qualifying final against Central District Lions. The Panthers, who have plenty of talent across the floor, will take on a Norwood Flames side flying high after notching triple figures in the elimination final. The Flames will be led by the exciting Ezeikiel Emnace who caught fire with 30 points last week. The same two sides will battle in the earlier clash on Court 4 with the Norwood Flames taking on the Panthers in the Under-23 women's preliminary final. The Panthers will have all the momentum after holding on for a 14-point win in last week's elimination final, while the Flames fell three shots away from the grand final. The two sides haven't met in more than a month, but the Flames got the better of their rivals on that occasion thanks largely to a Lucy Wootton masterclass. Originally published as 2025 Basketball SA District Finals live stream: Youth and Reserves prelim finals
Courier-Mail
11 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Tigers vs. Bulldogs, NRL news, updates: Benny Elias unloads on Tigers as truth comes out about Lachlan Galvin- Jarome Luai drama
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Amid all the animosity, anger and despair from Tigers fans about Lachlan Galvin's messy departure comes the truth about what really happened, with Tigers great Benny Elias telling all this week. After Galvin voiced his desire to leave the club earlier this year, several of his Tigers teammates took to social media to vent their anger. The senior player group then held an intervention, storming Benji Marshall's office and calling for the coach to demote him. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Galvin was subsequently dropped to reserve grade for all of one week, then recalled and eventually released to join the Bulldogs. Following the move, the teenager and his agent, Isaac Moses, have been criticised for turning their back on the club that put their faith in him, blooded him last year, and saw him as their future. But Wests Tigers legend Elias tells a different story, one where marquee signing Jarome Luai was the man who ultimately led the teenager to force his way out of the joint venture club. 'You got to ask the reason why (Galvin wanted out),' Elias said on Paul Kent's NRL podcast. 'He was not happy at the club. A lot of that starts and finishes at the top (with Benji Marshall). Jarome Luai coming to the Tigers changed everything for Lachlan Galvin. Image: Getty Benny Elias (pictured) blames Jarome Luai and Benji Marshall for Lachlan Galvin's exit. (Photo by) 'The year before Luai came to our club, Galvin was the superstar. He was nurtured, looked after, loved and put on a pedestal. 'He was our future and all of a sudden, a big personality comes to the club and changes everything … unfortunately, there was some drama caused by the superstar coming and all of a sudden, Galvin felt like he was second, third or fourth choice after he was up on this pedestal.' Veteran journalist Paul Kent mentioned that in training, Luai would choose to work with Latu Fainu over Galvin, and it left the teenager feeling he was no longer valued. While Elias wouldn't speculate on whether Luai was deliberately favouring Fainu, he said that the half coming to the club and taking the mantle as the club's leader, mixed with Benji Marshall no longer seeing Galvin as the starboy, led to the teenager feeling unappreciated. 'When your boss (Benji Marshall) makes you the focal point, you then expect nothing else,' Elias continued. Lachlan Galvin's mid-season switch to the Bulldogs made plenty of headlines. (Photo by) 'The coach made him No. 1 before Luai came to the club, and in the end, I truly believe that Galvin was basically pushed out of the club. 'It all started and finished at the top (with Benji Marshall's decision to bring Luai to the club).' When Luai came to the Tigers, he was handed the keys to the jungle, understandably so. The 28-year-old had just completed the four-peat with Penrith and voiced at the time he signed with the Tigers that he was used to being Robin to Batman (Nathan Cleary), and it was now his time to be 'Batman'. However, Luai joining the Tigers definitely ruffled a few feathers, in particular those of Galvin, who was seen as the club's future and the player whom the team would be built around. But it must be noted that last year, Galvin's management made a series of release requests in June before it all ultimately came to a head this year. So it may not be entirely fair to pin the blame on Luai, who wasn't even at the club when Galvin first wanted out. And as Luai prepared for the much-anticipated matchup against Galvin, who lines up for the Bulldogs on Sunday, the premiership winner declared he is a 'Tiger for life'. So the decision to go with a marquee half like Luai may have been the best choice after all if Galvin was likely to leave when his contract expired at the end of 2029 anyway. While the Dogs, who also eyed up Luai before he signed with the Tigers, feel Galvin is the missing piece of the premiership puzzle. Time will tell if either club is right. Originally published as 'Pushed out': Benny Elias unloads on Tigers as truth comes out about Lachlan Galvin, Jarome Luai drama
The Age
12 hours ago
- The Age
NRL Highlights: Tigers v Bulldogs
Wests Tigers host the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Round 22 of the 2025 NRL Premiership at Commbank Stadium, Sydney.
