‘Who leaked it?‘: Xerri opens up on ‘brutal’ Bulldogs exit
Updated . First published
Bronson Xerri has lifted the lid on his early exit from Canterbury, while setting the record straight on his reported dispute with coach Cameron Ciraldo.
After returning to the NRL at the conclusion of a four-year drug ban in 2024, the speedster had become a mainstay at left centre for the Bulldogs.
Bronson Xerri. Getty Images
However, things started to fall apart for Xerri early in the 2026 campaign, which saw him dropped to reserve grade and replaced by Enari Tuala.
The 26-year-old played in the club’s Las Vegas season opener against the Dragons, but was left out for round two in a selection bombshell from Ciraldo.
Reports then began to emerge that Xerri was unhappy with being moved from the left side to the right and had asked for an early release from Belmore.
He was eventually granted a release months later to join the Melbourne Storm.
Speaking at length about the saga on the Unscripted With Josh Mansour podcast, Xerri explained his version of events and why he was “burning” about some of the speculation and leaks that became public, while also revealing an osteitis pubis injury he dealt with in pre-season was a major reason for his rough start.
“Me and Ciro had so many one-on-one meetings, tough conversations,” he said.
“I was telling him how I was feeling, he was giving me some brutal feedback, which is obviously what coaches are supposed to do. I took it pretty bad, because I’ve never been in that kind of situation and I’ve never been dropped.
“I was brutally honest with him and told him I’m trying my best out there, it’s just not coming together. I even said to him ‘maybe put me on the left and see if there’s a difference’ and he was adamant that he wanted Critta (Stephen Crichton) on the left.
“I know I was lucky to even play in Vegas. It got to the point where a week later, he dropped me. I was prepared for it, but it still hurt. You don’t wanna kick stones, you don’t wanna bring bad energy to the boys, but it’s hard. You’re walking out of Ciro’s office and everyone can see that something has gone down.
“That day [reports came out] and it didn’t help me at all, it was coming out saying I was whinging and kicking stones, but it wasn’t like that at all.
“The next day and I came in and spoke to Ciro and asked what’s this that has been leaked out? We were sizing each other up saying ‘who leaked it’ but we got to the bottom of it, and it wasn’t either of us obviously.
“It’s nuts bro, you say something to someone and it gets [spread around] ... I was burning seeing people say that. You had all these other boys, who were standing behind you when everything was going good, jumping on and saying I was having a sook and I didn’t deserve this or that.”
Bulldogs great Willie Mason was highly critical of Xerri at the time, while former centre Josh Morris also voiced his displeasure around the situation.
Bronson Xerri. NRL Imagery
Xerri won his spot back at different stages throughout the year, but was limited to just 16 appearances – two of which came from the bench – as Ciraldo continually tinkered with the Bulldogs’ backline in search of results, eventually pushing Matt Burton to centre for captain Crichton, who took the reins at five-eighth.
The continued juggling of spots by Ciraldo didn’t pay off, as the Dogs missed the finals. They will enter 2027 with more questions than answers.
On the flip-side, Xerri will get a fresh start at the Storm and many believe the change of scenery, working under Craig Bellamy, could spark the Aquinas Colts product back towards the type of football he is capable of playing.
“At the start I was very anxious and nervous, but now I’m just keen to get over there and start. It all came pretty quick, but I’m excited and can’t wait,” he said.
