Cameron Ciraldo was the architect of the Panthers’ defensive system that helped drive them to four premierships in a row.
When he arrived at the Bulldogs as head coach for season 2023, he logically brought the system with him. Most importantly though, he stuck with it, because at first it was a failure. Of sorts.
Not because the system didn’t work – he knew it did – but because the players and the culture at the rock-bottom club couldn’t, and in some cases wouldn’t, make it work.
The Bulldogs were in a massive hole when Ciraldo arrived.
A distant wooden spoon with only three wins in 2021 was followed by an improved effort, but still a lowly 12th-placed finish in 2022 with seven wins.
In Ciraldo’s first year, they actually went backwards on the ladder, with the same number of wins (seven), finishing 15th.
In that year, there were some massive floggings.
As Ciraldo stamped his style of defence-based play on an outclassed, and at times unwilling roster, he was prepared to dig the hole deeper as part of the grand plan to eventually fill it in.
Matt Burton races away for the Bulldogs.Credit: Getty Images
In 2023 they leaked more than 40 points against seven different teams. The Knights put 66 on them, the Rabbitohs 50 and the Sharks 48.
They also had 30-plus totals put on them a further eight times.
The season ended with the Bulldogs racking up a whopping 769 points against, at a horrendous average of 32 per match. They were the worst in the NRL by some significant margin – wooden-spooners the Wests Tigers were the second worst with 675 against, 94 better than the Dogs.
As the points, and the floggings, mounted, Ciraldo and Phil Gould were working out which players were not buying in, and which players they should target who would buy in.
Players went and new ones came – for instance Stephen Crichton arrived from the Panthers for 2024 and was appointed skipper. For those who remained, the system was becoming more familiar.
Then came the improvement, and it was rapid, with the Bulldogs making the finals last season after a stunning sixth-placed finish on the ladder.
Keaon Koloamatangi tackled by a pack of Bulldogs.Credit: Getty Images
It was how they did it that impressed those within the Bulldogs walls the most.
Pre-season, Ciraldo, Gould and the club’s brains trust set a major goal.
It was to stop the big totals being put on them – the 40-plus spankings which were a trademark of 2023.
They could accept losses, but they’d no longer accept blowouts. Stopping them would mean they were on the right track.
By season’s end, they had 40 points scored on them only once – when the Cowboys amassed 44 – a vast improvement.
They had 443 points against for the season, at an average of 18½ per match. This was a 326-point turn-around on 2023, which equates to about 2½ tries less per game over a whole season.
They ended as the third-best defensive team in the competition behind premiers the Panthers, the ultimate defenders, and top-four side the Sharks.
Cameron Ciraldo won just seven games in his first season before things started to turn around with the Bulldogs.Credit: Kate Geraghty
This season, they’ve conceded the least points out of the 17 clubs – a paltry 58 – winning six from six to sit atop the ladder.
Friday’s shutout of the Rabbitohs followed the round-five shutout of the Knights ahead of a bye in round six.
They have not conceded a point since March 29 – when the Sharks scored one try in a 20-6 Bulldogs win in round 4. That was 209 minutes of football ago.
So, what is the system?
Funnily enough, the blueprint isn’t freely available, but insiders with knowledge of the workings revealed it is principals-based, and needs nothing short of 100 per cent buy-in where players stick to those principals in all scenarios.
Hence, some players had to go, and new ones arrived. Only the existence of the right culture, or collective attitude, can implement it.
It demands a team-first mentality needing “connectivity, belief, trust and extreme fitness”.
The system is based on the times when you are both in control in defence, and when you’re out of control, such as when there’s a line break, a half break, a quick play the ball, a missed tackle, a half missed tackle or a turnover. It covers all scenarios when something goes amiss and the opposition is on the attack.
The system is designed so the problem solves itself, with players instantly turning to one of three plans – literally the A, B and C plans – for each scenario.
The players know what to do, which of the three plans to turn to, and how to use that plan to shut down the threat.
Turning to the right plan happens instantly and is trained into them.
In 2023 when the Dogs were being belted, Ciraldo refused to budge on the system.
He stuck with it through thick and thin knowing the long-term benefits would greatly outweigh the short-term pain.
It was his way or the highway and he knew from what he had learnt at Penrith, the tide would turn.
Under enormous pressure, he would not compromise and his staunchness has earned him a great deal of respect among the club hierarchy.
All the players had to do was learn their ABCs.
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