Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has attempted to remain tight-lipped when asked about crucial refereeing decisions during his side’s qualifying final loss to the Storm.
Already dealing with the loss of skipper Stephen Crichton to an ankle injury, Ciraldo said the Bulldogs were on the wrong end of a few calls in a match officiated by Adam Gee, believing “not much” went his side’s way.
“You need a bit of luck but we got none tonight,” Ciraldo said.
“It’s one of the bravest performances I’ve seen or been involved in … not much was going our way but geez they were brave.”
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Crucial calls questioned
Pressed about decisions that went against the Bulldogs in a tight, back-and-forth contest, Ciraldo admitted he had tried to cool his head before speaking.
“I was probably hoping you’d ask me that question ten minutes ago and then I calmed down and thought about not getting myself in trouble,” he said.
“I think before half time it was a half a second slower in the play of the ball and we were the ones getting penalised for slow ruck. So, I wasn’t happy with that.”
Ciraldo pointed to three incidents that left him frustrated.
Kikau penalty sparks debate
In the first half, Viliame Kikau was pinged for a high tackle on Josh King, with the Storm adding two points to edge ahead 8-6.
Fox League’s Michael Ennis labelled the call “embarrassing,” while Ciraldo called it “disappointing.”
Later, with the Bulldogs building momentum, a crusher penalty deep in Melbourne’s half swung the pressure back the other way.
“The two points, high tackle penalty in the first half, I was disappointed in that,” Ciraldo said.
“And then when we gained some ascendancy there in the second half, there was a crusher penalty … I was even more unhappy with that.
“So, you know, as I said before, you need a bit of luck in these games and we got zero tonight.”
‘Rules of engagement’
Ciraldo also made a pointed remark about “rules of engagement” when asked about consistency, but stopped short of elaborating.
“We come down here three weeks ago and you sort of, you know, the rules of engagement after that. Yeah, I’ll just shut me mouth,” he said.
Pressed further, Ciraldo closed it down. “Yeah I’ll probably just leave it there. I’ve probably said too much.”
Home final ahead
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs will get a second chance in front of their home fans next week against the loser of the Panthers v Warriors clash.
Ciraldo said the resilience of his squad remains a source of pride.
“If I told you at the start of pre-season we’ll be in week two of the finals in front of our home fans and an opportunity to go to a prelim, you’d take it,” he said.
“So that’s the opportunity ahead of us.”