Cameron Ciraldo held at least 10 clandestine meetings with Bulldogs boss Phil Gould at western Sydney hotels, which were so secretive that CCTV cameras were switched off temporarily when the prospective coach entered the building.
That’s how seriously the Bulldogs took the chase for Ciraldo; a coach hunted by at least half a dozen clubs in recent years.
Ciraldo is the most significant signing Canterbury have made since securing the man who chased him down, Gould, who has been charged with the responsibility of rebuilding the club after a dismal run on the field.
“Gus” Gould lives by the motto “only the paranoid survive”, and he wanted the Ciraldo negotiations to progress without interference. He didn’t want to put a foot wrong because he was determined to respect Ciraldo’s situation at the Panthers, where he is an assistant coach. Gould didn’t want any ongoing speculation about the coach to be a distraction as Penrith chased back-to-back NRL titles.
Canterbury officials were embarrassed by the leaking of a photo from their own CCTV of Viliame Kikau posing in Bulldogs gear; it’s why they went to such great lengths to ensure the Ciraldo deal was done in the shadows. Ciraldo was grateful for that. And he was grateful the Bulldogs delivered on everything they said they would in the negotiation process.
Gould is also in the position of being the only general manager of football at an NRL club who faces a regular grilling by the media on Channel Nine’s 100% Footy and on his own podcast with Nine Entertainment Co, owners of this masthead. Gould was forced to fend off questions on both platforms while trying to put together a confidential deal with Ciraldo. His critics seized on his denials. Gould only cared about signing Ciraldo.
Cameron Ciraldo and Phil Gould when they were both at the Panthers.Credit:NRL Photos
Wests Tigers’ negotiations with Ciraldo were very much the opposite: we heard about the five-year offer and a tour of their facilities. Ciraldo spent more than six hours at the new Tigers headquarters. We knew that almost instantly.
Now the deal with the Bulldogs has been done, we have learnt that Ciraldo didn’t just set foot in Dogs HQ once, he was actually there twice – late in the evening. He had a peaceful tour of Des Hasler’s now decade-old gym and wrestling centre, which are next to the train tracks at the back of Belmore, under the cover of darkness and away from prying eyes.
The key to the Canterbury deal was Gould’s long-term relationship with Ciraldo. Gould recruited Ciraldo to the Panthers as a player over a coffee at a McDonald’s on the Central Coast. Ciraldo agreed to sign without even hearing what money was on offer.
This negotiation was not as straightforward. Ciraldo was given a risk assessment on the Tigers and the Bulldogs by his agent, George Mimis. He also did plenty of his own research. He is known for his thorough approach.
The only genuine indication that Ciraldo was deep in talks with the Bulldogs was a photo that emerged showing he and Mimis meeting at The Locker Room sports bar and pub at Sydney Olympic Park with Craig Laundy, the son of Canterbury’s major sponsor Arthur Laundy. It was snapped by a sharp-eyed punter, who sent it to Nine News. Gould played it down, describing it as nothing more than “man walks into pub and sits at table”.
Laundy owned the pub and was invited to sit with Ciraldo, Mimis and Ciraldo’s father-in-law, who is also Ciraldo’s accountant. Those at the lunch say Gould’s version is correct. Laundy was not meant to be part of the gathering, which was about Ciraldo’s finances. Originally, the three were due to meet at The Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle – ironically another Laundy pub – but Homebush was chosen because it was more convenient.
In the end, the deal was finalised only last weekend, and it could prove to be one of the best in the club’s recent history.
Banned of the free
Tim Mannah is one of the good guys of the NRL, and he has been let down badly by the suits at Moore Park.
Mannah was encouraged by some at the NRL integrity unit to give evidence in its case against manager Isaac Moses, which led to Moses being banned in February 2021.
Moses was found to have breached his obligations as an agent in 2017 when he assisted former client Mannah to give evidence to the NRL that was false and intended to mislead an investigation into Parramatta.
Moses was hardly damaged by being out of the game. His company, Cove Agency, is still powerful and there was not a mass exodus of players, as many predicted. Moses still attended junior games. And now he’s back altogether, after the NRL approved his return as an accredited manager. Mannah went through a lot to give evidence. He is not the type to say too much publicly, but he deserved to be treated better for his stance.
Moses marches on and anything he lost business-wise will be recouped in the months ahead.
Marshall troops
Benji Marshall is having an impact at Wests Tigers already as he gathers a team around him that he will want as head coach.
Marshall, with the approval of Tim Sheens – coach for the next two seasons before Marshall takes over – has told the current members of the high performance unit they are no longer required. Marshall will put his own people in place.
The interesting name still among the training ranks at the Tigers is Ronnie Palmer. Sheens says the NRL veteran is not part of the high performance team, but the futures of all staff members are being looked at. In other words, Palmer should look around just in case. Palmer would not comment when I asked him if he had a job at the Tigers next year. His name is being mentioned in other areas, though.
Green never lost passion for coaching – right up until end
Paul Green had expressed an interest in the Gold Coast Titans coaching job – if it were to become available – through a third party, even though negotiations were well advanced for him to become an assistant coach with Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins.
It shows that Green still wanted to be an NRL head coach, and still had a great deal of passion for the game he loved. We will never know if that contributed to what he felt in his final days. Even on the Friday before he died he was asking Mat Rogers all about the Titans as the pair played golf.
Green’s desire to be a head coach clearly still burned. It is becoming increasingly clear to family members that he kept a lid on how tough and frequent his dark days were. They knew of his mental health battle for years, but still no one saw what happened as possible. Green didn’t want his mental health struggle to be widely known, in case it had an impact on his ability to get and hold another head coaching job.
He was clearly a tough character, as he reached the peak of his profession and managed to keep functioning at the highest level. But he struggled with the demands of being a perfectionist. It was hard for Green to accept his imperfect professional life. Being Dolphins assistant was a good job – but it wasn’t THE job.
One of Green’s last roles as a professional was to help select a new coach for his Brisbane junior club Wynnum Manly. He sat on the selection committee, which chose former Dragon and Tiger Mat Head.
“He was so good to deal with in the process … I was actually hoping I could learn from him,” Head said. “I mean, why wouldn’t I? He did it all as a player and a coach, and I was hoping he was going to mentor me. I can’t believe what has happened and I really don’t know what to say. I was dealing with him two weeks ago about the job and I just feel so much for his family. I want to do a great job [at Wynnum Manly], but there is even more reason now. His family was huge at the club, he was a big figure at the club, and we need to honour him and do a great job.”
Former Souths football manager Shane Richardson was devastated by Green’s sudden passing, posting on Facebook: “Paul Green you made my life so much richer for having known you. So much richer for your friendship and loyalty. You leave a legacy that I really don’t think you understood.”
Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and beyondblue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au)
Shark still on hunt
Andrew Fifita is not ready for retirement and it could mean the Sharks prop continues at another NRL club. The 13-year, 246-game veteran has been talked about at rival clubs. His biggest fan is coach Craig Fitzgibbon, who has marvelled at his ability to set and drive the team’s culture.
Fitzgibbon will have Fifita as a member of the club post-football without a doubt. The only issue is Fifita may want another year.
Hare apparent
The Warren name lives on at Channel Nine.
Ray “Rabbits” Warren’s son Chris is going to call some NSW Cup and NRLW games for Nine. He also has a far tougher gig as Wests Tigers media manager.
