Knights star kept Bulldogs coach ‘awake all week’
Jasper Bruce |
Cameron Ciraldo says he’s been losing sleep all week thinking about how to stop Newcastle star Fletcher Sharpe from wreaking havoc against Canterbury.
Saturday’s clash at Accor Stadium is the first for superstar five-eighth Sharpe since suffering a knee injury in the Knights’ Las Vegas season opener.
“He’s doing really well,” Knights coach Justin Holbrook said of Sharpe’s recovery.
“We couldn’t have pushed him the week before, he wasn’t ready, so he’ll be right to play tomorrow.”
Sharpe was clearly the Knights’ best player in the round-one win over North Queensland before his injury, flaunting his trademark running game and crossing for the first try of the NRL season.
He’s likely to be a particular focal point of the Knights’ attack against the Bulldogs given injuries to fellow spine players Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown.
His Bulldogs were the NRL’s best defensive team last year and he masterminded Penrith’s premiership-winning defence as an assistant coach, but even Ciraldo is nervous about the task of shutting Sharpe down.
“He’s kept me awake all week. He’s such a good player, so dangerous, so fast,” Ciraldo said.
“We’re going to have to be on high alert every time he’s in and around the ball. He pops up everywhere, so it’s going to be a real challenge for us.
“You can’t take a play off and you can’t get disconnected. That responsibility, connection, throughout the 80 minutes is going to be really important for us.”
Ciraldo is eager to get a win on Saturday for right-hand man Adam O’Brien.
O’Brien joined the Bulldogs as attack coach after his six-year tenure in charge of the Knights ended in a wooden spoon last season.
“He’s treated this week no different,” Ciraldo said.
“If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t know he had any history there. He’s a guy that puts the club first.
“Hopefully we can get the win for him though.”
Star recruit Leo Thompson misses his own first chance to come up against his old club, with still no firm timeline set for his return from a calf injury.
Thompson is yet to make his Bulldogs debut after suffering the injury in February and will need to wait until 2027 to face the Knights.
“I think Leo just wants to play football, I don’t think he’s too fussed about who it’s against. He just wants to tackle people,” Ciraldo said.
“But he’ll have to wait a few more weeks.”
AAP