Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo knows a lot can change in a year in rugby league.
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After a disappointing 15th-place finish in his first season at the helm of an NRL team, Ciraldo was already facing tough questions about his management.
The 39-year-old's training methods were under fire amid claims an overly-disciplinarian approach was causing disquiet among the playing group.
But fast forward to July and the Bulldogs are riding high in fifth place on the ladder after five wins from their last six matches and have their eyes set on a first finals appearance since 2016.
Success heals all wounds and with Ciraldo in charge, Belmore has become a much happier place to be. And a more attractive destination for new recruits.
The club earlier in the week announced the signing of Tongan forward Sitili Tupouniua from the Sydney Roosters on a four-year deal from 2025.
"We're just trying to build an environment where our players love coming to work every day," Ciraldo said.
"They come here wanting to work hard. We signed 10 guys last year when apparently it wasn't a good place to come and those guys believed in what we were doing and came here and wanted to change the culture and change the performance on the field.
"We're forever indebted to those guys that believed in us 12 months ago and it's good to see guys like Sitili want to join us now."
A win away to North Queensland on Sunday would further cement the Bulldogs' place at the top of a congested mid-table.
"We really enjoy the energy we get from our community and our fans and that's really important to us," said Ciraldo.
"Especially our home games have been awesome feeling that energy, but we understand how quickly the NRL can turn.
"We're embracing the pressure that comes with the position we're in right now."
His players are newly refreshed from a much-needed bye after two consecutive golden-point wins and will be hoping to be joined on field by victorious NSW State of Origin centre Stephen Crichton, with the Bulldogs skipper flying straight to Townsville from Brisbane to link up with the team.
"Super proud of him," Ciraldo said.
"We knew that he had that in him, but I think he's really found his feet at Origin level and now he knows he belongs there and he knows he can dominate on that stage."
Australian Associated Press
