Report news: Canterbury bulldogs head coach announce the leaving of………
Canterbury’s relationship with its 2023 club captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner has taken a brutal twist after he was reportedly told to stay away from pre-season training.
Faitala-Mariner was named Canterbury’s club captain after the retirement of Josh Jackson at the end of the 2022 season, although Reed Mahoney and Matt Burton were named the on-field leaders.
But after Faitala-Mariner’s manager Ernest Santone made it clear the 30-year-old had been given permission to leave the club despite two years being left on his deal, it appears the club have drawn a line through the star.
As the first of the Bulldogs prepare to return for pre-season training on Friday, The Daily Telegraph has reported that “sources close to the club confirmed Faitala-Mariner had been told to stay away”
Faitala-Mariner has two-years left on his deal which is worth a reported $400,000 per year.
It’s a shock fall from grace for Faitala-Mariner, who has played 102 of his 114 NRL games for the club and was elevated into the key leadership position.
But the rift reportedly began when the star was
approached by a group of Polynesian players at the club who were unhappy with coach Cameron Ciraldo’s training requirements and he was asked to convey their concerns over the club’s culture and training.
Ciraldo defended himself late in the season after a player reportedly walked out of the club over a training punishment.
The forward played 14 games last season, having spent a month bedridden with pneumonia after training through a flu illness.
He played his last game in round 21 against Penrith.
