Canterbury Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo is hoping Josh Addo-Carr’s return to his old stomping ground AAMI Park can ignite the speedy winger’s season.
Addo-Carr produced a breathtaking second half performance with a hat-trick of tries to put the Bulldogs in a winning position before the Storm stole the game late through a Shawn Blore try.
The 28-year-old Addo-Carr was a constant threat on the left with 243 run metres and five line breaks in an eye-catching performance.
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“He’s been pretty frustrated by the start to the year and a couple of injuries,” Ciraldo said.
“We want Josh just enjoying his footy, he’s happy off the field, he’s happy at training, he just needed to get a bit of space and time on the field.
“To see him come back down here at a place he did really well at and play the way he did tonight is really pleasing for us and good signs for us moving forward.
“I hope he can do that every week.
“We know what Josh can do at his best when he’s on the field and getting the space that he got tonight, he’s really hard to stop.”
The Bulldogs were left deflated, not by their performance, but by the result.
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Knowing his team was undermanned and had endured a rough preparation after training ground Belmore flooded during the week, Ciraldo asked for 80 minutes of effort from his players and that is what he got and it’s been a trend across their first six games.
“I think we’ve been one of the most consistent teams in terms of effort and attitude,” Ciraldo said.
“Every game they’ve turned up and competed really hard.
“While everything hasn’t gone our way, we’ve had the same effort and attitude every week, and I really hope that’s making our fans proud for them to see that.
“I do know that if we keep having that effort and attitude and learn from some of these losses and win more moments then the results will come.”
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Ciraldo’s belief in the Bulldogs is growing, despite the 2-4 record.
“I hope they’re believing as much as what they’re making me believe in at the moment,” he said.
“We’re doing a lot of things right, the ladder and the scoreboard is probably the worst indicator of our performance right now.
“We’ve been really consistent in effort and attitude, we’re competing hard in games, we’re fit and when we win more moments, we’ll win more games.”
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