The off-field changes that caused Bronson Xerri to question desire to play rugby league |
The off-field changes that caused Bronson Xerri to question desire to play rugby league
March 22, 2026 — 4:29am
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Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri has been wrestling with his place in rugby league over the summer months – and by “place”, I don’t mean his position in the team.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo dropped the 25-year-old to NSW Cup this week. It followed reports he was unhappy at the club and was set to seek a release. Ciraldo said the decision was less about Xerri’s first-round performance against the Dragons in Las Vegas and more about “a number of other factors around training and preparation and things like that”.
Xerri has made some big off-field changes recently. Finding religion has been a significant one, but not the most. He has also questioned his desire to play rugby league.
He has been through a lot as a person and a player, and it has started to hit home as he has seen the sands shifting. Xerri was involved in a couple of telling moments on the field in Vegas.
The obvious one was the controversial play-the-ball strip in the dying stages of the game. He almost became the villain of a huge match when he appeared to lose the ball, only to have Dragons forward Ryan Couchman penalised for a strip. That weighs on players.
He also could have been the hero had a Connor Tracey pass found him in a hole instead of Marcelo Montoya, who was tackled into touch. Sliding doors moments, but you can’t help but wonder whether things would have played out as they have if the pass was different and Xerri had scored a crucial try.
There is a human being behind the professional footballer, and events such as a change of position and being challenged can create self-doubt. Without the right coping mechanisms, that can also affect thought process, and the results have been laid bare this week.
The Bulldogs have been in Xerri’s corner all the way, and gave him a career lifeline when they signed him after he served a four-year ban for taking anabolic steroids. Last November, the club upgraded Xerri’s contract for 2026 with a one-year extension to the end of 2027.
What many people don’t know is that the club’s general manager, Phil Gould, has a long connection with Xerri. His son Jack grew........