Captain Ibis
Squad Member
It wasn’t Cameron Ciraldo who prescribed the now infamous “wrestle” penalty that caused such a storm this week.
Ciraldo has worn much of the flak after revelations a Bulldogs player took indefinite leave after being lined up to wrestle his teammates as punishment for being late to training, but the coach has not backed away from his aim of setting high standards at the club.
The Bulldogs have established a rule about punctuality under Ciraldo. It’s simple: if you are late, ring or text the coach or the footy manager. If you don’t have a good reason, turn around and go home.
There had been a couple of punctuality issues earlier in the season and when the player in question arrived late for an off-site wrestling session, it was felt this was the time to take a stand.
Trainer Travis Touma initially wanted to send the player home. He can’t be blamed for what took place. He consulted two senior players, who felt that course of action was unfair and that he should have to complete the gruelling wrestling session like everyone else. So it was decided the player should take part in the session, then complete an extra penalty afterwards.
If a player is late for a running session, the penalty is usually extra runs. If it’s a gym session, the penalty might be extra gym work. This was a wrestling session. So the player was asked to complete extra wrestling. To the best of my knowledge, it lasted for just over four minutes. One by one, there were 24 players, who had very quick wrestles, on their knees, with the player. Each individual wrestle lasted between five and 10 seconds. The player was spent after the session. It’s exhausting work. It’s supposed to be. Afterwards, he was sitting against a wall near the wrestle mats, smiling because he had completed the task.
He wasn’t broken, bruised or bleeding. He kept training with the side for the rest of the week and did not miss a session. His mental health issues, which were not known then, were triggered by external reaction to his punishment.
As for talk some players were upset with the punishment, that would seem to be a falsehood. Two weeks after the session that led to the player taking leave, Braidon Burns called a wrestle session penalty on himself, as a punishment. Burns said he didn’t find it as hard as some pre-season tackle sessions.
The young man’s mental health issues should be taken seriously. Some of the reporting on this matter should not be. One newshound was trying to blame Canterbury’s culture for Payne Haas not coming to the club. He was never even close to joining the Dogs. Agendas are creeping in, and it’s part of an ongoing campaign against the club – or against some of the individuals therein.
