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The comeback kid”.
That’s what Bronson Xerri’s Bulldogs teammates are calling him this summer as the young gun centre charges towards an NRL return after four years in the rugby league wilderness.
Xerri burst into the NRL as a teenager at the Sharks in 2019 but tested positive to the presence of exogenous Testosterone and was slapped with a four-year ban.
Rugby league is full of comeback stories and Xerri is determined to become the next by making the most of Canterbury and Phil Gould’s career lifeline.
It’s why the 23-year-old is leaning into the new nickname, which Bulldogs skipper Reed Mahoney called out as Xerri spoke with foxsports.com.au at Belmore on Thursday morning.
It triggered a wry smile from Xerri who emphasised he won’t be taking his second chance for granted as he reflected on the moments he almost threw the game away.
When asked if he thought he’d ever return to the NRL, Xerri told foxsports.com.au: “It was up and down for me, at one stage I was like ‘nah, I am giving away the game’. Then sometimes I’ll be like ‘no, I need to come back’.
“I’m happy to be here and grateful for the opportunity and I’m going to take it with both hands.”
Xerri’s battles with mental health following his suspension have been well documented and he described his first two years of his suspension as being “down and out”.
“I suffered pretty bad with my mental health so I pretty much just stayed home and kept in my little shell,” he said.
“Then I actually jumped on a job site and worked for a few months doing carpentry and then when it came to the last two years I just started training with Roger (Fabri) and get my life back on track.”
However, Xerri explained that through his adversity he learnt a number of big life lessons, including being appreciative for the life of an NRL player.
Prior to his suspension Xerri emerged as one of the brightest talents in the rugby league. He scored 13 tries in 22 games for the Sharks at only 19 years old.
He was even considered a future Immortal by Andrew Johns, but required two shoulder surgeries following his debut season with a third on the horizon.
Gratitude, when something is taken away from you, you don’t truly know what you had,” Xerri explained.
“Coming back I’m more grateful to be here and be in the situation I’m in and gratitude is the biggest thing I’ve learnt.
“I wish no one to go through that, and I didn’t want to go through it just to learn what I had to about myself, but it is what it is and everything happens for a reason.
I’m here and I just have tunnel vision and I’m ready to look forward... when times get tough on the field doing physical work I always just go back to doing work on the job site and how hard it was.
“It comes back to gratitude, I’m just so grateful to be here again and to be given that second opportunity... I learnt a lot about myself and I think I’ve grown a lot. I was 19-years-old too, so I’ve learnt a lot and I learnt who my true friends are.”
Xerri went on to express his love for the Bulldogs, a club he had only spent a handful of months at during the club’s 2024 pre-season to kick off his two-year contract.
Formerly a Moorebank Junior, Xerri played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Under 13s development team before being recruited for Cronulla’s Harold Matthews outfit.
After a dark period in which Xerri battled depression, Bulldogs supremo Gould emerged as a shining light.
The gun centre had only recently signed on with manager Matt Desira, who quickly informed him Gould wanted to have a meeting to discuss a potential return to the sport.
“He (Gould) had a coffee with my manager and this was only recently when I signed with my manager, he gave me a call and said ‘Gus wants to meet you’,” Xerri recounted.
“It just built my spirits and I was so happy, I couldn’t wait until the next morning to go and see him. From the first meeting I was pretty much sold.”
Other clubs were keen on Xerri’s services and were ready to have meetings of their own to gauge if the once prodigal talent would be the right fit for their squad. But he had already made up his mind.
I pretty much walked away from my first meeting (with Gould) and told him I’m going to be a Bulldog,” Xerri said.
“He was like ‘nah, nah let’s just talk to other teams’. I said ‘no, listen I want to be a Bulldog’ and that was it.”
Xerri then spent the 2023 season watching on from the sidelines as the Bulldogs endured a tough debut campaign under highly-touted coach Cameron Ciraldo.
The Belmore-based outfit won only seven games, leaking the most points in the NRL with 769, 94 less than the wooden spoon-winning Tigers.
But his faith in Ciraldo’s side never wavered and Xerri has now set his sights on a starting spot in the centres when the Dogs face the Eels in Round 1.
I think the club’s on the rise and there’s so much potential in the squad and obviously the staff, we have amazing staff here,” Xerri said.
“Watching from the sidelines, the club is on the rise and there’s so much to build from and I think the only direction is up
“I’m trying to put my best foot forward and start Round 1 but I just wanted to get physically right this pre-season and come trials show that I can earn the Round 1 spot.
“It’s not going to come easy… but I’m willing to do it, so come game day I will be ready.”
Competition for spots will be heated in the Bulldogs’ backline, with Jacob Kiraz and recruits Connor Tracey and Stephen Crichton vying for a spot in the centres.
Three-time premiership-winner Crichton looks set to start on one flank and Xerri spoke glowingly of the man he is desperate to partner this season.
“Obviously having Critta here, he’s been amazing and to learn off him. He’s the best defensive and attacking centre in the game I believe,” Xerri said.
www.foxsports.com.au
That’s what Bronson Xerri’s Bulldogs teammates are calling him this summer as the young gun centre charges towards an NRL return after four years in the rugby league wilderness.
Xerri burst into the NRL as a teenager at the Sharks in 2019 but tested positive to the presence of exogenous Testosterone and was slapped with a four-year ban.
Rugby league is full of comeback stories and Xerri is determined to become the next by making the most of Canterbury and Phil Gould’s career lifeline.
It’s why the 23-year-old is leaning into the new nickname, which Bulldogs skipper Reed Mahoney called out as Xerri spoke with foxsports.com.au at Belmore on Thursday morning.
It triggered a wry smile from Xerri who emphasised he won’t be taking his second chance for granted as he reflected on the moments he almost threw the game away.
When asked if he thought he’d ever return to the NRL, Xerri told foxsports.com.au: “It was up and down for me, at one stage I was like ‘nah, I am giving away the game’. Then sometimes I’ll be like ‘no, I need to come back’.
“I’m happy to be here and grateful for the opportunity and I’m going to take it with both hands.”
Xerri’s battles with mental health following his suspension have been well documented and he described his first two years of his suspension as being “down and out”.
“I suffered pretty bad with my mental health so I pretty much just stayed home and kept in my little shell,” he said.
“Then I actually jumped on a job site and worked for a few months doing carpentry and then when it came to the last two years I just started training with Roger (Fabri) and get my life back on track.”
However, Xerri explained that through his adversity he learnt a number of big life lessons, including being appreciative for the life of an NRL player.
Prior to his suspension Xerri emerged as one of the brightest talents in the rugby league. He scored 13 tries in 22 games for the Sharks at only 19 years old.
He was even considered a future Immortal by Andrew Johns, but required two shoulder surgeries following his debut season with a third on the horizon.
Gratitude, when something is taken away from you, you don’t truly know what you had,” Xerri explained.
“Coming back I’m more grateful to be here and be in the situation I’m in and gratitude is the biggest thing I’ve learnt.
“I wish no one to go through that, and I didn’t want to go through it just to learn what I had to about myself, but it is what it is and everything happens for a reason.
I’m here and I just have tunnel vision and I’m ready to look forward... when times get tough on the field doing physical work I always just go back to doing work on the job site and how hard it was.
“It comes back to gratitude, I’m just so grateful to be here again and to be given that second opportunity... I learnt a lot about myself and I think I’ve grown a lot. I was 19-years-old too, so I’ve learnt a lot and I learnt who my true friends are.”
Xerri went on to express his love for the Bulldogs, a club he had only spent a handful of months at during the club’s 2024 pre-season to kick off his two-year contract.
Formerly a Moorebank Junior, Xerri played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Under 13s development team before being recruited for Cronulla’s Harold Matthews outfit.
After a dark period in which Xerri battled depression, Bulldogs supremo Gould emerged as a shining light.
The gun centre had only recently signed on with manager Matt Desira, who quickly informed him Gould wanted to have a meeting to discuss a potential return to the sport.
“He (Gould) had a coffee with my manager and this was only recently when I signed with my manager, he gave me a call and said ‘Gus wants to meet you’,” Xerri recounted.
“It just built my spirits and I was so happy, I couldn’t wait until the next morning to go and see him. From the first meeting I was pretty much sold.”
Other clubs were keen on Xerri’s services and were ready to have meetings of their own to gauge if the once prodigal talent would be the right fit for their squad. But he had already made up his mind.
I pretty much walked away from my first meeting (with Gould) and told him I’m going to be a Bulldog,” Xerri said.
“He was like ‘nah, nah let’s just talk to other teams’. I said ‘no, listen I want to be a Bulldog’ and that was it.”
Xerri then spent the 2023 season watching on from the sidelines as the Bulldogs endured a tough debut campaign under highly-touted coach Cameron Ciraldo.
The Belmore-based outfit won only seven games, leaking the most points in the NRL with 769, 94 less than the wooden spoon-winning Tigers.
But his faith in Ciraldo’s side never wavered and Xerri has now set his sights on a starting spot in the centres when the Dogs face the Eels in Round 1.
I think the club’s on the rise and there’s so much potential in the squad and obviously the staff, we have amazing staff here,” Xerri said.
“Watching from the sidelines, the club is on the rise and there’s so much to build from and I think the only direction is up
“I’m trying to put my best foot forward and start Round 1 but I just wanted to get physically right this pre-season and come trials show that I can earn the Round 1 spot.
“It’s not going to come easy… but I’m willing to do it, so come game day I will be ready.”
Competition for spots will be heated in the Bulldogs’ backline, with Jacob Kiraz and recruits Connor Tracey and Stephen Crichton vying for a spot in the centres.
Three-time premiership-winner Crichton looks set to start on one flank and Xerri spoke glowingly of the man he is desperate to partner this season.
“Obviously having Critta here, he’s been amazing and to learn off him. He’s the best defensive and attacking centre in the game I believe,” Xerri said.
Four years in the NRL wilderness... now a Dogs lifeline has ‘comeback kid’ ready to explode
Four years in the NRL wilderness... now a Dogs lifeline has ‘comeback kid’ ready to explode
www.foxsports.com.au
