An unnamed Panthers official reportedly claimed former Penrith coach Anthony Griffin “didn’t rate” Cameron Ciraldo when the latter was Griffin’s assistant coach at the club.
Ciraldo will lead his Canterbury Bulldogs side against Griffin’s St George Illawarra Dragons on Sunday afternoon in what will be the first time the two coaches have squared off against one another.
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The Bulldogs coach was promoted from his role as the Panthers’ under-20s coach in Griffin’s second year at the foot of the mountains, but quickly learned their two coaching styles wouldn’t mesh.
So much so that Ciraldo tried to quit his role as Griffin’s assistant not once but twice, only to be convinced to stay by ex-Penrith general manager Phil Gould, who is now at the Bulldogs.
But a report in the Sydney Morning Heraldhas since revealed just how much tension there really was between Ciraldo and Griffin in their time at the Panthers.
“He (Griffin) didn’t listen to Ciro,” an anonymous Panthers official told the publication.
“He didn’t rate him. Hook was old school but Ciro was this new-age coach.
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“Hook was also jealous of the relationship Ciro had with Gus, but also the players in that team.
“Instead of using that to his advantage, he shut Ciro out.”
Although Griffin represents more of an old-school coach, there was reportedly a breakfast where he seemingly opened up to his fellow coaches and asked them how he could improve.
But once his assistants began to offer suggestions, the SMH reports Griffin seemed more focused on eating his breakfast than paying attention to what they had to say.
Since Griffin was sacked by the Panthers in 2018, he has since moved to the Dragons but has failed to get the side firing and was reportedly asked to reapply for his job should he wish to stay.
As for Ciraldo, he stuck around at the Panthers for several more years as an assistant under Ivan Cleary and played a key role in helping the club win two premierships.
However, Ciraldo has since left the club and moved to the Bulldogs to take up his first head coaching role in the NRL.
With both the Dragons and Bulldogs struggling to find their feet this season, the clash Griffin and Ciraldo could provide the sparks they need to get their teams up and away.
