Three players to watch in 2024
Speaking to the media last week, Head Coach Cameron Ciraldo highlighted three players to keep a watch on as the NRL Pre-Season Challenge begins on February 15.
After four years away from the NRL, the 23-year-old local kid has returned to the Bulldogs squad and is training hard. Ciraldo stated that Xerri has been a “real surprise packet for us.”
”He probably found the conditioning side of things difficult early on since he was out of the game for a long time, but once he had that foundation, he really worked incredibly hard and shown his talent level,” he said. “We’re really excited about how he’s doing.”
The young fullback is enjoying his change of scenery as he sits behind Latrell Mitchell at the Rabbitohs.
“I believe Blake Taaffe has come in and demonstrated that he can be a really good regular NRL player.” “He has really come in and shown us what skills he has,” Ciraldo remarked.
”I like his intuition. I adore what he adds to the game. Last year’s reserve grade finals showed that he possessed a good football IQ. He was conversing with his teammates, trying to break down the opponent while also working hard on the ball.
The 26-year-old is not new to the game. King began his career on the Gold Coast before moving to Melbourne. He has spent the last two seasons at Belmore. Ciraldo stated that over the last two years, he has worked hard and is beginning to emerge as a team leader.
”Max King is a player who has played a lot of football over the last two years, sort of solidified himself as a pretty vital element of our pack, and he’s taken it to another level this year,” Ciraldo explained.
”He’s just a workhorse that not many people see, but for us, the level of his effort has really grown in pre-season, and he’s starting to feel more comfortable around the group as a leader.
