Bulldogs defend ‘punishment’ of player who walked out and didn’t return

Bulldogs defend ‘punishment’ of player who walked out and didn’t return

The punishment involved wrestling up to a dozen of his teammates for an extended period. A week later he asked the club for time off due to personal reasons and hasn’t been back.

www.smh.com.au

Michael Chammas​

August 29, 2023 — 9.31pm

The Canterbury Bulldogs are privately defending their treatment of an NRL player who walked out of training five weeks ago due to mental health reasons.
The player, who hasn’t been named due to the seriousness of his mental state, turned up to training late for a session last month. He is in the top 30 squad but considered a fringe first-grader.

The coaching staff decided to enforce a punishment, which is a common practice at NRL clubs, asking him to wrestle up to a dozen of his teammates for an extended period at the end of training.

A week later he asked the club for time off due to personal reasons and hasn’t been back to training since. The club is still paying his contract.

The Bulldogs declined to comment when contacted on Tuesday night. The Daily Telegraph also reported that centre Braidon Burns walked out on a training session last week after suffering a hamstring injury and has left the club. The Herald has been told he trained on Tuesday.

It comes after the Herald reported on Monday that Bulldogs staff were aware of a text message that has been doing the rounds in recent days that claimed up to eight players were unhappy at the club under the coaching of Cameron Ciraldo.

One of the grievances allegedly raised by some current players, and potential recruits, was a frustration over Ciraldo’s workload demands.

The message claimed that Ciraldo’s expectation for players to be around for training from 8am to 5.30pm was unrealistic and a deterrent for some players to join or remain at the club.

The Dogs’ performances of late, which have left many questioning the commitment of the players, speaks to a problem at the club. Those concerned about how hard or long training is appear to have their cards marked, with the Bulldogs expected to make a raft of changes once their season ends this weekend.

Ciraldo has a proven track record of success having worked hand in hand with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary to deliver two premierships at Penrith.

He has recruited players from clubs who have played for successful teams like Stephen Crichton (Panthers), Jaeman Salmon (Panthers), Liam Knight (Rabbitohs), Blake Taafe (Rabbitohs) and Siua Taukeiaho.

Ciraldo is expected to front the media for his weekly pre-game press conference on Wednesday.

 

[tony soprano]

As much as I know that these wrestling things happen, it's outdated and desperate stuff from Ciraldo and Gould.

The sport has a terrible track record when it comes to mental health of young blokes. Sometimes with the most tragic of endings.

10000 percent our club knows to well from the past unfortunately

 

[240z]

This is true, however more often these days mental health issues are being used as an out to escape situations when the going gets hard.
You see it it in relationships, education and at work.
If they are genuine, it’s not weakness…it can’t be controlled fully. When it’s used as a crutch…that’s different, and it does happen.

I do agree that some people play the mental card - a former tigers player now at the Eels did that but this is where a good person manager can tell the difference between real and BS

 

[Tucker]

Boomers raised their children and grandchildren dumber than any previous generation in history, then have the hide to complain about how the kids turned out lol. And you're even sooking after you passed on your buggered up chemical-sodden genes replete with peanut allergies to the poor kids. Needs to be a royal commission into boomers.

Jesus, this little one has her knickers tight 🤣

 

[Winston Churchill]

Obviously the player that was late and then complained about doing hard work for hundreds of thousands of dollars should have instead been given affirmation that he is a special little boy that the world rotates around and a Chupa chup.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Look I understand you are talking from personal experience and this is getting you upset.
We are talking about footballers complaining because the training is too hard.

Personal experience has nothing to do with it mate. I’m not even talking about the situation at the Dogs in particular. I’m talking about the way people are reacting telling them they are soft, when we live in the day and age where mental health is no longer a stigma. Shit like this happens. People take the extreme way out. You cannot say with a straight face that you know for sure what any of these players would do if they were pushed hard enough. No one would have expected Mosese Fotuaika to end his life either. Just saying, tread carefully before you judge.

 

[Tucker]

Personal experience has nothing to do with it mate. I’m not even talking about the situation at the Dogs in particular. I’m talking about the way people are reacting telling them they are soft, when we live in the day and age where mental health is no longer a stigma. Shit like this happens. People take the extreme way out. You cannot say with a straight face that you know for sure what any of these players would do if they were pushed hard enough. No one would have expected Mosese Fotuaika to end his life either. Just saying, tread carefully before you judge.

I don’t envy anyone being a top level coach.
How do you get the best out of your people when if you push them hard they may go on permanent stress leave or worse?
It is a poor situation and you need to weed them out of your system so they can go get the care required. High pressure jobs are not for everyone.
An NRL professional footballer is a high pressure occupation.

 

[Winston Churchill]

Like I said, I know that doesn’t do much for the ”drink a glass of cement“ crowd. You literally have no way of doubling after being reminded of the tragedies that happen from the affect of mental health.

So you are saying a player that disrespects his club, coach and team mates by turning up late than faces consequences for lowering the standards of his employer is justified by doing so by playing the mental health card you've just randomly pulled out of your ass? Got it. Please reply to me by apologising for all your previous posts for my mental health issues you have caused by me reading your posts. One wouldn't want to be a hypocrite. I'll await your apology white Knight.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

Funny because it's true.

So people in todays generation don't go through hard times? Why exactly is todays generation soft? ever think that todays generation is a reflection of the one that came before it which is supposedly the 'tough' generation where 'men' were 'men' so to speak.

 

[tony soprano]

So people in todays generation don't go through hard times? Why exactly is todays generation soft? ever think that todays generation is a reflection of the one that came before it which is supposedly the 'tough' generation where 'men' were 'men' so to speak.

I blame the internet.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

I blame the internet.

I blame AJ Soprano

 

[Fallen Angel]

So you are saying a player that disrespects his club, coach and team mates by turning up late than faces consequences for lowering the standards of his employer is justified by doing so by playing the mental health card you've just randomly pulled out of your ass? Got it. Please reply to me by apologising for all your previous posts for my mental health issues you have caused by me reading your posts. One wouldn't want to be a hypocrite. I'll await your apology white Knight.

I would assume there are some underlying issues already existing for you that my posts are just exacerbating if you indeed are struggling with your mental health, so for that I apologise. However thank you for indirectly helping make another point. Sure, in a vacuum, the situation with the player might seem innocuous, but if there is something else going on, sometimes the tipping point might not take much. As for you, take care of yourself, and don’t be scared to reach out and talk to someone if you need to

 

[Winston Churchill]

So people in todays generation don't go through hard times? Why exactly is todays generation soft? ever think that todays generation is a reflection of the one that came before it which is supposedly the 'tough' generation where 'men' were 'men' so to speak.

Pampered first world problems. The generation before gave you everything as they had none. When you don't have to work for your privilege you can't see the forest for the trees.

 

[KingRobbie]

I don’t envy anyone being a top level coach.
How do you get the best out of your people when if you push them hard they may go on permanent stress leave or worse?
It is a poor situation and you need to weed them out of your system so they can go get the care required. High pressure jobs are not for everyone.
An NRL professional footballer is a high pressure occupation.

Agree with this.

Maybe the player involved isn’t mentally equipped for the high pressures involved with top-level rugby league, but that also doesn’t mean we should discredit what mental health issues they may be dealing with.

The Bulldogs club has stated that the player has been submitting weekly mental health reports from a doctor to the club, so there’s obviously something going on.

 

[Winston Churchill]

I would assume there are some underlying issues already existing for you that my posts are just exacerbating if you indeed are struggling with your mental health, so for that I apologise. However thank you for indirectly helping make another point. Sure, in a vacuum, the situation with the player might seem innocuous, but if there is something else going on, sometimes the tipping point might not take much. As for you, take care of yourself.

Solid reply

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

When you don't have to work for your privilege you can't see the forest for the trees.

That's a load of BS

 

[Tucker]

So people in todays generation don't go through hard times? Why exactly is todays generation soft? ever think that todays generation is a reflection of the one that came before it which is supposedly the 'tough' generation where 'men' were 'men' so to speak.

Today’s generation tend to amplify problems rather than construct ways to deal with them.
I once had an apprentice take time off work because he was so upset about the bushfires. He got himself into an absolute tizzy about climate change and it affected his health.
We don’t think the same way.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

Today’s generation tend to amplify problems rather than construct ways to deal with them.
I once had an apprentice take time off work because he was so upset about the bushfires. He got himself into an absolute tizzy about climate change and it affected his health.
We don’t think the same way.

I could stereotype a group of people off of one persons actions as well does it make it true? probably not

 

[cktiger]

Like I said, I know that doesn’t do much for the ”drink a glass of cement“ crowd. You literally have no way of doubling after being reminded of the tragedies that happen from the affect of mental health.

Seems plenty of people getting mental health issues confused with a highly paid athlete turning up late for training and then getting hammered in the training session.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Seems plenty of people getting mental health issues confused with a highly paid athlete turning up late for training and then getting hammered in the training session.

Players turn up late all the time. 99% of them probably just brush it off, and don‘t make a big deal of it. The player in question could be entitled, or maybe he has other issues.

 

[Tucker]

I could stereotype a group of people off of one persons actions as well does it make it true? probably not

I’m not doing that.
I’m older than you, have a huge amount of experience in a large amount of fields and know a lot of people.
My sample size is large enough