The player at the centre of the training drama which has engulfed the Canterbury Bulldogs is reportedly closer to taking legal action after a meeting failed to resolve the issue on Thursday.
The Daily Telegraph reports the player and his representatives met with club powerbrokers including football boss Phil Gould on Thursday but couldn’t come to a solution.
Watch every game of The 2023 NRL Telstra Finals Series before the Grand Final Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo Sports. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Although the club has promised to continue to offer assistance as the player deals with mental health issues, the matter is still alive and he is reportedly considering taking legal advice.
It comes after reports on Wednesday night that the player was forced to wrestle 20 of his fit teammates one after the other in a training punishment known as “shark bait” where the players wrestle until one is put on their back after he was around 10 minutes late for training.
However, the player contends his schedule said players were to arrive at 8am for strapping before training started at 8.30am.
As the player didn’t need strapping, he believed he was 20 minutes early.
The Telegraph said he trained for two hours before being told he would be punished and, at the end of the session, he “could barely pick himself off the floor”.
On Wednesday night, players speaking on the condition of anonymity admitted it was hard to witness.
One player said: “After it happened, I thought ‘what the f**k was that?’ It was pretty ordinary. A lot of players didn’t want to do it.”
Another player, who is no longer at the club, told The Daily Telegraph he left because of “the environment”.
The player reportedly trained the remainder of the week for fear of being labelled weak before taking mental health leave and counselling.
It comes amid reports that coach Cameron Ciraldo’s recent criticism of his team’s work ethic has angered some players.
It’s been a wild week for rookie coach Ciraldo, who doubled down on his methods after being accused by a select few players of working them too hard.
The rookie coach drew a line in the sand and said he’ll make no apologies for insisting hard work is at the core of the club’s rebuild.
It comes as the Bulldogs sit 15th on the NRL ladder heading into the final round and despite having seven wins for the season, have a points differential of -327, the worst in the NRL.
The club have leaked 735 points to have the worst defensive record in the NRL, and the second worst attack ahead of only the wooden spoon winning Wests Tigers.
And if the side concede more than 40 points in their final match of the season against the Gold Coast Titans, they will enter the top 10 most points conceded in a season in rugby league history in Australia.
The club also hasn’t played finals football since 2016.
Ciraldo also received some support from Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who said punishments have a place in the modern football club.
“You set your principles and your values in place, as a club, and then you adhere to them. It’s uncomfortable,” Robinson said.
“It’s not that hard to be really clear on standards and then adhere to them. If you’re not doing that, then there is often punishment.
“There is either silent punishment in life, like we all have if we don’t follow standards. We have fines and there’s lots of things in life where punishment comes out if you don’t adhere to that.
“And it’s no different in a footy club, but it has to be elevating as well. People like punishment to be honest. Players when they don’t do the right thing and they get punished, in some ways, they enjoy that.
“But that punishment needs to be elevating in nature. It needs to be something that they learn a lesson but can also grow from.”
Similarly, Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards, who worked with Ciraldo in his capacity as Penrith’s assistant coach in recent years, backed the Dogs coach.
“I think NRL is hard, so you have to train hard and prepare hard to give yourself the best opportunity to be successful. Training is hard. It’s supposed to be hard,” Edwards said.
“It can be (long days) but it depends on how the training schedule is set up. Some days might be a bit longer than others, but you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do to be successful.”
He added Ciraldo is “a great coach and a great person who really cares about your family and cares about you as a person, too.”
“If his character is being called into question that definitely surprises me, if that’s what’s happening,” Edwards said.
“His character and the person he is, there aren’t too many people out there like him. It’d be disappointing if that’s what’s happening. I can’t speak highly enough of him as a coach and as a person.”
Ciraldo and Gould have also received renewed support from the Laundy family, who’s Laundy Hotel chain adorn the front of the Bulldogs’ jersey.
Craig Laundy said: “Dad, Stuart and myself are very, very confident in what the board, Gus and Cameron are trying to do.
“We believe it will bear fruit. The definition of insanity is trying the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.”
