Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo responded significantly following a non-penalized potential hip drop tackle on backrower Jacob Preston, marking one year since his controversial sin bin incident.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo responded strongly to a potential hip drop tackle on backrower Jacob Preston that went unpunished, exactly one year after a previous controversial sin bin incident.
During the first half of the match, Preston was seen clutching his ankle after Rabbitohs superstar Jack Wighton brought him down while holding onto his back.
Despite the incident, Wighton was not penalized as it was determined that he did not make contact with Preston’s legs upon landing.
During the post-match press conference, Cameron Ciraldo was reminded of the controversy that arose in the same Easter fixture in 2023 when Jacob Preston was sin-binned for a similar tackle. The rugby league community had differing opinions on whether Preston’s tackle on Izack Thompson constituted a hip drop, but he escaped punishment despite being sent off.
“Yeah, I remember it well,” Ciraldo acknowledged when reminded of the incident.
When asked about his thoughts on Jack Wighton’s tackle, Ciraldo refrained from commenting directly but conveyed his opinion through visible eye-rolling.
Cameron Ciraldo expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “Honestly, I didn’t get a close look at it,” accompanied by a deep sigh. “No, I didn’t see it that closely.”
In a separate incident, Bulldogs forward Kurtis Morrin was sin-binned for a dangerous lifting tackle that caused Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray to land on his shoulder. Ciraldo believed that referee Gerard Sutton made the right call, but he also suggested that an opposing player should have faced a similar consequence.
“Yeah, it was probably fair. Kurtis tackles low, and he just didn’t execute it correctly there,” Ciraldo commented. “There wasn’t any ill intent, but that’s how it goes. It probably deserved the sin bin, but it would have been nice to see a similar action punished on the other side.”
Another contentious moment in the match was when Latrell Mitchell collided with winger Josh Addo-Carr, resulting in Addo-Carr being knocked unconscious.
Despite being taken into touch just before halftime, Latrell Mitchell’s hip made contact with Josh Addo-Carr’s head. However, Mitchell avoided any punishment for the incident. As a result of the collision, Addo-Carr will be sidelined for Round 5 and will undergo an 11-day rest period as per the NRL’s concussion protocols.
“I haven’t had a close look at it, but the fact is we lost him for the remainder of the game, and now it’s likely we’ll be without him for next week as well, which is far from ideal,” Ciraldo commented.
