djdeep4172
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How quick the game changes. Last July Canterbury were ruled by Newcastle 66-0, now it’s the Knights struggling after Canterbury put them to the sword 36-12.
It was a moment in time coach Cameron Ciraldo would rather forget, but alongside the club’s 52-6 thumping of Newcastle in the NSW Cup, it’s now a line in the sand moment.
“I didn’t want to talk too much about last year,” said Ciraldo of the round 18 hiding at Homebush.
“It was a dark day for us, but I didn’t want to mention it leading in because I think we had 12 guys that didn’t play on that day. But in saying that, we did get pumped in both grades, it was a tough time.
“So to turn it around in both grades shows we have some really good kids coming through.”
With their third win of the season the Bulldogs jumped to 12th on the ladder, and with a bye and Wests Tigers to follow, optimism is on the rise.
“We’ve got some guys that have played really well in reserve grade today,” said Ciraldo.
“Then we’ve got Jacob Preston and Kurt Mann ready to come back after the bye, so there’s some positive signs there.
“We’ve gotten better every week. I’d probably like to be one or two more wins ahead of that but I felt like we’ve been in every game and given ourselves a chance to win.”
With a backline that is still a work in progress, Connor Tracey didn’t look out of place in his first run in the No.1 jumper. It was a tough call to send Blake Taaffe to the bench, but it’s a headache the coach is happy to address.
“I thought Connor was really good. We wanted to get Taffy on earlier,” he said of the former South Sydney utility’s 12 minute stint.
“But we just weren’t sure which position. Guys were cramping, so we were trying to figure out where best to use him.
“He probably went on seven or eight minutes later than he should have, but the backline continues to evolve.”
It was a moment in time coach Cameron Ciraldo would rather forget, but alongside the club’s 52-6 thumping of Newcastle in the NSW Cup, it’s now a line in the sand moment.
“I didn’t want to talk too much about last year,” said Ciraldo of the round 18 hiding at Homebush.
“It was a dark day for us, but I didn’t want to mention it leading in because I think we had 12 guys that didn’t play on that day. But in saying that, we did get pumped in both grades, it was a tough time.
“So to turn it around in both grades shows we have some really good kids coming through.”
With their third win of the season the Bulldogs jumped to 12th on the ladder, and with a bye and Wests Tigers to follow, optimism is on the rise.
“We’ve got some guys that have played really well in reserve grade today,” said Ciraldo.
“Then we’ve got Jacob Preston and Kurt Mann ready to come back after the bye, so there’s some positive signs there.
“We’ve gotten better every week. I’d probably like to be one or two more wins ahead of that but I felt like we’ve been in every game and given ourselves a chance to win.”
With a backline that is still a work in progress, Connor Tracey didn’t look out of place in his first run in the No.1 jumper. It was a tough call to send Blake Taaffe to the bench, but it’s a headache the coach is happy to address.
“I thought Connor was really good. We wanted to get Taffy on earlier,” he said of the former South Sydney utility’s 12 minute stint.
“But we just weren’t sure which position. Guys were cramping, so we were trying to figure out where best to use him.
“He probably went on seven or eight minutes later than he should have, but the backline continues to evolve.”
