Rugby League

Ciraldo rolls dice with new-look Bulldogs spine

By AAP Newswire

Sep 16, 2025

Lachlan Galvin (pic) and Toby Sexton will start in the halves for the Bulldogs against Penrith. -AAP Image

Winger Jacob Kiraz has revealed he is happy to keep playing with painkilling injections as a patched-up Canterbury turn to a barely tested halves combination of Lachlan Galvin and Toby Sexton to save their NRL season.

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Hurting from a gruelling 26-18 defeat to the Melbourne Storm last week, injuries have forced Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo into a major reshuffle for Sunday's must-win semi-final with Penrith.

Galvin and Sexton will pair up in the halves for just the third game this season with regular five-eighth Matt Burton moving to centre to cover for the loss of injured captain Stephen Crichton.

Crichton has been named in jersey No.23 but is unlikely to feature against his former club due to an ankle injury.

Ciraldo has stuck by Bailey Hayward at hooker after he missed 15 tackles against Melbourne but has brought Reed Mahoney onto Canterbury's bench.

Sunday's game will be the first time the Dogs have trotted out a spine of Hayward, Galvin, Sexton and fullback Connor Tracey this season.

Burton will partner Bronson Xerri (concussion) in the centres with Jethro Rinakama holding his wing spot alongside workaholic Kiraz, who has pulled through the Storm clash in one piece.

The 23-year-old Kiraz was rated a slim chance to feature in the finals series when he limped out of the Dogs' round-26 win over Penrith with an ankle injury that was expected to sideline him for at least a month.

But Kiraz was back on the field in a little over two weeks and now by hook or crook will ensure he's doing his utmost to extend the Dogs' finals run by a week and end the Panthers' premiership dynasty in the process.

"I pray everything heals quickly, I don't know if it's the Lebanese food or what because everyone's trying to say that might be the secret," Kiraz told AAP.

"I hate missing games and I remember the first two days thinking there's no way I was going to play anytime over the next two weeks but thank God, the performance team looked after me and got me through.

"I knew I was going to play in pain. I said to the team and to the coach I do not care if I play in pain. As long as I can run, I don't care.

"The needle helped a little bit, there's some boys who can't even play due to injury, so if I have to play through a little bit of pain now, it doesn't bother me."