‘Done deal’: Lunch photo reveals NRL coup

Ciraldo was snapped with his manager George Mimis in a meeting with Craig Laundy of Laundy Hotels — the Bulldogs’ major sponsor — at The Locker Room in Homebush.Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >It was claimed the meeting was between Ciraldo, Mimis and his accountant before Laundy joined the trio.It’s arguably the clearest sign yet the Bulldogs are still well in the hunt to sign Ciraldo after he declined a five-year deal with the Wests Tigers, leading to the club setting up the Tim Sheens-Benji Marshall succession plan.But the Bulldogs as a club have remained tight lipped on whether Ciraldo is their man.Even Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould said “No” when asked on Twitter “Is it true that Ciraldo had a meeting with Bulldogs board?”2GB’s Jim Wilson tweeted on Wednesday afternoon: “I’m hearing Cameron Ciraldo is a done deal @NRL_Bulldogs from next year, big news at Belmore and for @PenrithPanthers”.Ciraldo has long been linked to every vacant job in the NRL but signed a one-year extension as the Panthers assistant after rejecting the Tigers.It was suggested at the time he may be waiting for a more attractive job, like coaching the Melbourne Storm with Craig Bellamy still teasing about an early exit as head coach, with his current deal ending in 2023.But there’s still an element of the unknown around Ciraldo, who has not been an NRL head coach but has been the most sought after assistant for some years.On Fox League’s NRL 360 on Wednesday, The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis said there is still risk in the move from the Bulldogs.“It is a huge risk because you are talking about the unknown,” Carayannis said on NRL 360.“You talk about the Tigers who were going to offer him a five-year deal and that was a huge risk because he has a great pedigree and has done all the right things as an assistant coach, but who really knows if Cameron Ciraldo is going to be cut out to be a week in and week out first grade coach. No one knows.”Paul Kent believes he will be well placed at the Bulldogs as he previously worked under Gould.“I think the fact he has had some relationship with Gould in the past helps him because he knows what he is in for,” Kent said.“Gould can be tricky to work with at different times and generally it follows a bit of a similar pattern. There is a love in early on and the sharing of great ideas and then suddenly things sour a little bit and then next minute someone loses a head.“But Ciraldo has sat there as an assistant to Ivan Cleary when he was there (the first time). He was an assistant to Anthony Griffin when he was there.“He has been through the whole lot. He has seen it all unfold. He knows what he is in for. But he also knows the benefits.“There is a lot of upside in working with Phil Gould. His footy nous is pretty spot on.” Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au