'Hope he's here for 30 years': Phil Gould's glowing praise for Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo

Phil Gould has known for a long time that Cameron Ciraldo was going to be a fantastic first grade coach and now he wants him at the Bulldogs for decades to come.

After doing his apprenticeship at Penrith and earning plenty of praise for perfecting the club's defensive system, Ciraldo moved across to Canterbury on a five-year deal.

Things started off incredibly rocky for Ciraldo, with the blue and white outfit finishing in 15th spot on the ladder in his first season in charge.

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There were very little green shoots when it came to on-field performances in that 2023 campaign, but behind the scenes, Ciraldo was slowly building a powerhouse.

Last season, the Bulldogs made the finals for the first time in eight years.

In 2025, the side find themselves sitting on top of the ladder and are firmly established as a genuine premiership front-runner alongside the Melbourne Storm.

Speaking to 9News Sydney's Danny Weidler about the coach and his rise at Belmore over the past two years, Gould said there were never any doubts from his perspective.

"It was never a risk in my mind whatsoever," the club's general manager said.

"When people said Cameron was a rookie coach, he wasn't really a rookie in my eyes.

"He's gonna be a long-time coach, he will be a career coach. 

"I hope he's here for the next 30 years. When he came here, I said the Bulldogs needed the next 20-year coach and I said I think this is the bloke who can do the job.

"It was obviously a very rough start for him and he started earlier than I wanted him to.

"He's proved his worth so far, but the best is still in front of him."

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It's an incredible endorsement from Gould, who recently celebrated 50 years in the game and is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in history.

Ciraldo's continued improvement - coupled with an ever-improving squad at the Dogs - has Gould confident things will remain solid for years to come, despite the looming threat of expansion franchises in Perth and Papua New Guinea.

"I've got no fear about losing players," he said.

"We won't lose a player that we want to keep. None of our players want to leave either.

"That's the culture that the coaches have created and the players amongst themselves.

"We haven't got one player here that wants to play somewhere else."

Canterbury will look to extend their lead at the top of the NRL ladder against the Roosters on Friday night at Accor Stadium.