Captain Ibis
Squad Member
Paul Kent believes staying at Penrith might be in Cameron Ciraldo’s best interests as he weighs up approaches from the Tigers and the Bulldogs to become an NRL head coach.
The Panthers assistant and defence coach toured the Tigers’ facilities on Monday and was reportedly impressed with the club’s infrastructure and vision for the future.
“Cameron Ciraldo is the most sought after coach in waiting in the game and he has met with the Wests Tigers powerbrokers today Lee Hagipantelis and Tim Sheens the director of football,” James Hooper said on NRL 360 on Monday.
“He has done a tour of the centre of excellence that is still yet to be opened, but just having the finishing touches put on it out at Concord.
“The word is that he was quite impressed. He likes the Tigers pathways. He likes the Junior systems that they have got set up. He likes the fact that Tim Sheens that is his sweet spot and forte.
“But he has got a big decision to make because the Tigers are not going to be the only club trying to convince Cameron Ciraldo.”
Kent revealed Ciraldo was also impressed with the Bulldogs, which pits the two clubs against each other in a bidding war for his services.
“The Bulldogs will go hard for him,” Kent said.
“Gould has gotten in his ear and is sweet talking him and my understanding is he is actually quite impressed with the Bulldogs and what they have got as far as pathways go.”
Brent Read believes the fact Ciraldo has been openly touring the Bulldogs and Tigers’ facilities means he is serious about leaving Penrith at the end of 2022.
“It shows how serious he is that he is touring the facilities and meeting those guys,” Read said.
“He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t serious about it.
“There was a lot of talk he might stay at Penrith, but the fact that he is touring the Wests Tigers and talking to Gus, that would suggest he is very open to leaving Penrith.”
However, Kent believes given the state of both the Tigers and the Bulldogs’ rosters, Ciraldo might be better served biding his time at the Panthers and waiting for a better opportunity.
“I think he is open to leaving them, but I also think it is a big decision,” Kent said.
“The Tigers is where your coaching career goes to die at the moment.
“The last 10 years they have been through five coaches.
“Then we have got the Bulldogs who we know . . . and Ciraldo would have seen this first hand because he was there when Ivan Cleary was first sacked at Penrith.
“He was there when Anthony Griffin got sacked at Penrith, so he knows the devil he is dealing with for want of a better term when he goes to the Bulldogs and he doesn’t have the success.
“Or the kind of success because Griffin got sacked when he had the Panthers running fourth, that the general manager of football wants.
“It is a big decision either way for Cameron Ciraldo and the prudent choice of staying at Penrith might be the right one.”
James Hooper questioned whether Tim Sheens’ influence might sway Ciraldo to lean towards the Tigers.
“With that point you make about the Bulldogs if you are looking at the Tigers and the fact that someone like Tim Sheens is there with his football IQ and everything that he has achieved in the game,” Hooper said.
“You have got Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i joining next season, is that perhaps more appealing as opposed to the complex challenges that can go with working under Gus?”
However, Kent believes there is so much more to coaching in the NRL than simply coaching the team on the training paddock and that Ciraldo’s inexperience in those areas will make either the Tigers or Bulldogs jobs daunting.
“I don’t think it is Hoops because you have had Jason Taylor, Mick Potter, Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire and you saw a few green shoots when Cleary was there, but not a lot and they did get their salary cap out of shape badly,” Kent said.
“There has not been a lot there to suggest as an ambitious young coach because the one thing Cameron Ciraldo does know is footy. No one doubts that. Everyone who has worked with him walks away impressed about how much he knows about footy.
“The problem with him taking the Tigers job is that he has not dealt with managers a lot. He has not dealt with committees.”
“But he has got Tim Sheens there,” Hooper interjected.
“Sheens was able to get out there in the market place and sign Koroisau and help them sign Papali’i.”
“Everyone thinks head coaching is about knowing the x’s and o’s and you talk to all the coaches we know and they say the actual coaching is 20 per cent of the job,” Kent said.
The Panthers assistant and defence coach toured the Tigers’ facilities on Monday and was reportedly impressed with the club’s infrastructure and vision for the future.
“Cameron Ciraldo is the most sought after coach in waiting in the game and he has met with the Wests Tigers powerbrokers today Lee Hagipantelis and Tim Sheens the director of football,” James Hooper said on NRL 360 on Monday.
“He has done a tour of the centre of excellence that is still yet to be opened, but just having the finishing touches put on it out at Concord.
“The word is that he was quite impressed. He likes the Tigers pathways. He likes the Junior systems that they have got set up. He likes the fact that Tim Sheens that is his sweet spot and forte.
“But he has got a big decision to make because the Tigers are not going to be the only club trying to convince Cameron Ciraldo.”
Kent revealed Ciraldo was also impressed with the Bulldogs, which pits the two clubs against each other in a bidding war for his services.
“The Bulldogs will go hard for him,” Kent said.
“Gould has gotten in his ear and is sweet talking him and my understanding is he is actually quite impressed with the Bulldogs and what they have got as far as pathways go.”
Brent Read believes the fact Ciraldo has been openly touring the Bulldogs and Tigers’ facilities means he is serious about leaving Penrith at the end of 2022.
“It shows how serious he is that he is touring the facilities and meeting those guys,” Read said.
“He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t serious about it.
“There was a lot of talk he might stay at Penrith, but the fact that he is touring the Wests Tigers and talking to Gus, that would suggest he is very open to leaving Penrith.”
However, Kent believes given the state of both the Tigers and the Bulldogs’ rosters, Ciraldo might be better served biding his time at the Panthers and waiting for a better opportunity.
“I think he is open to leaving them, but I also think it is a big decision,” Kent said.
“The Tigers is where your coaching career goes to die at the moment.
“The last 10 years they have been through five coaches.
“Then we have got the Bulldogs who we know . . . and Ciraldo would have seen this first hand because he was there when Ivan Cleary was first sacked at Penrith.
“He was there when Anthony Griffin got sacked at Penrith, so he knows the devil he is dealing with for want of a better term when he goes to the Bulldogs and he doesn’t have the success.
“Or the kind of success because Griffin got sacked when he had the Panthers running fourth, that the general manager of football wants.
“It is a big decision either way for Cameron Ciraldo and the prudent choice of staying at Penrith might be the right one.”
James Hooper questioned whether Tim Sheens’ influence might sway Ciraldo to lean towards the Tigers.
“With that point you make about the Bulldogs if you are looking at the Tigers and the fact that someone like Tim Sheens is there with his football IQ and everything that he has achieved in the game,” Hooper said.
“You have got Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i joining next season, is that perhaps more appealing as opposed to the complex challenges that can go with working under Gus?”
However, Kent believes there is so much more to coaching in the NRL than simply coaching the team on the training paddock and that Ciraldo’s inexperience in those areas will make either the Tigers or Bulldogs jobs daunting.
“I don’t think it is Hoops because you have had Jason Taylor, Mick Potter, Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire and you saw a few green shoots when Cleary was there, but not a lot and they did get their salary cap out of shape badly,” Kent said.
“There has not been a lot there to suggest as an ambitious young coach because the one thing Cameron Ciraldo does know is footy. No one doubts that. Everyone who has worked with him walks away impressed about how much he knows about footy.
“The problem with him taking the Tigers job is that he has not dealt with managers a lot. He has not dealt with committees.”
“But he has got Tim Sheens there,” Hooper interjected.
“Sheens was able to get out there in the market place and sign Koroisau and help them sign Papali’i.”
“Everyone thinks head coaching is about knowing the x’s and o’s and you talk to all the coaches we know and they say the actual coaching is 20 per cent of the job,” Kent said.
