Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo will need to get stitches on his hand after the window of the coaches’ box shattered at GIO Stadium on Thursday evening.
The Bulldogs sealed a tense 14-10 victory over the Canberra Raiders in the Australian capital, with fullback Connor Tracey producing a last-minute tackle on rival halfback Ethan Sanders metres from the line to prevent a game-winning try.
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“Raiders were minor premiers last year, so we knew it was going to be a tough ask coming down here,” Ciraldo told reporters during the post-match press conference.
“I’m just really proud of the performance. The Raiders started fast. At one stage we were a try down with 80-20 possession against us and really had to dig deep there.
“I know the boys were hurting. They hadn’t played in 19 days, so they were just trying to find their rhythm.”
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The index finger of Ciraldo’s right hand was bandaged during the press conference, with the Bulldogs mentor revealing he sustained the injury during a bizarre incident in the coaches’ box.
“It was quite foggy, so we couldn’t see what was happening,” Ciraldo recalled.
“We tried to open the window and the whole window smashed on us. Glass all over us.”
He added: “(My hand’s) all right. I need to go get stitches now.
“It actually happened when we scored our last try. It was hard to stay present.”
Ciraldo then suggested the Canberra venue was overdue for an upgrade.
“It’s a great place to play. It’s a great atmosphere,” he said.
“But it deserves an upgrade. You can’t have stuff like that happening.”
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart echoed Ciraldo’s comments when he fronted reporters a few minutes later, calling the venue “s***house”.
“Come into our change room. I thought it was raining in there,” Stuart said.
“It’s no good whingeing about it, because the people you’ve got to whinge to don’t give a s***.
“People who make decisions about our stadium don’t care about the stadium. They don’t care about the nation’s capital having a s***house stadium that we have.
“That’s why I don’t think about it, I don’t care. We just do what we’ve got to do, because they don’t care.”
Tracey Try-Saver denies Sanders winner | 00:59
Elsewhere, Ciraldo praised Bulldogs centre Enari Tuala, who started his first game for the club on Thursday, for a try-saving effort that denied the Raiders a potential try.
“The sports scientist came up at halftime and (Tuala’s) basically blown up the GPS,” Ciraldo said.
“He was working that hard. I think that’s a credit to him.”
The Bulldogs’ victory comes after plenty of speculation about dropped outside back Bronson Xerri, who reportedly sought a release from the last two years of his contract.
Asked about the off-field drama, Ciraldo declared his players handled the situation “great”.
“There might be stuff going on off the field, but they’re really good at just staying process-minded and getting on with the job,” he said.
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton agreed: “It’s always been process-driven with us, regardless of media and regardless of the noise that’s outside.
“We know within our four walls who we represent and what we’re playing for. As long as our leaders are driving that, the whole group follows that.
The Bulldogs, currently top of the ladder with six points, will next host the Newcastle Knights at Accor Stadium on Saturday, March 28.
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