Canterbury Bulldogs coaching staff tops RLPA survey despite lingering ex-player lawsuit

The Rugby League Players Association published their results of a player poll on their respective clubs - and South Sydney has come out on top in most categories.

A total of 512 players across all 17 NRL clubs were asked to rate the performances of their club across all areas.

Souths came out on top in the areas of "services and support", and "facilities" while the Bulldogs also made massive strides according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

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It comes after the club was saddled with allegations their coaching staff inflicted mental injury on former player Jackson Topine 18 months ago, after the forward was made to wrestle 35 teammates as punishment for allegedly being late to training.

Topine was let go by Canterbury the end of the 2023 season and later launched a lawsuit against the club worth an estimated $4 million.

But those who remained at the club clearly see things differently, after the Bulldogs came out on top in the category of "high-performance staffing", which included the coach, his assistants, medical and the football department.

If 85 per cent of players answered with a nine or 10 out of 10, the club received an A for that particular category.

If 75 per cent of players answered with an eight, nine or 10, they would receive a B. If 50 per cent of players provided a score of five or less, it meant an F.

"These clubs achieved the highest cumulative scores, and while they may be outperformed by others in specific areas, their overall ranking places them firmly at the top of each ranking table," the RLPA wrote on its website to explain the criteria.

"This recognition from the RLPA validates our commitment to providing the very best high-performance environment for our players," Canterbury CEO Gary Warburton said.

"We've invested heavily in assembling an elite coaching and support staff, and it's gratifying to see this acknowledged by players across the game."

Cameron Ciraldo has finished his second year in charge at Belmore and helped the side back into the top-eight after a lean run under the likes of Trent Barrett and Dean Pay.

In regards to the result of the Rabbitohs, they moved their training facilities from Redfern to a brand new state-of-the-art headquarters in Maroubra mid-way through 2023.