Cameron Ciraldo’s phone call to Adam O’Brien in NRL coaching bloodbath

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien says highly rated Panthers assistant Cameron Ciraldo gave him a call on Wednesday morning to reassure him he wasn’t after his job.

Ciraldo’s phone call came after Nathan Brown and Michael Maguire parted ways with their respective clubs on Tuesday, leading to speculation that O’Brien could be the next coach ousted.

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O’Brien’s Knights have been hit by injuries but are underachieving on pre-season expectations and sat at the bottom of the ladder earlier in the year.

Ciraldo is preparing to be linked to the three coaching jobs that will become vacant next season and his name has already been floated as an option at Newcastle if O’Brien fails to turn things around.

But Ciraldo isn’t entertaining a move to the Knights, according to O’Brien, who said the Panthers assistant gave him a call on Wednesday morning after speculation of a link to the club arose.

“Cameron being the bloke that he is was the first one to call and had a laugh,” O’Brien said.

“There’s no truth to ‘Ciro’ (coming to Newcastle).”

Ciraldo played almost half of his 94 first grade games for the Knights and O’Brien said he’d previously tried to lure him back to the club.

“He does love the place, I almost had him coming as an assistant a few years ago and he was all in,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a good man ‘Ciro’, I’ve got a good relationship with him and we speak often. He was the first one to call me this morning.”

The Knights made the finals in the first two years of O’Brien’s tenure, but now that they’re two games out of the eight at the midway point of the season, his job is under more scrutiny than in previous years.

“Our ladder position will warrant some people having opinions on that,” he said.

“Whether they’re factual or not, I don’t really care to be honest. I just care about preparing the team today to get a result on the weekend.

“I get it. It’s pressure. That’s why this job is special too, there’s a lot of pressure that goes with it, pressure to perform, and I get that.”

O’Brien said he felt for Brown and Maguire after their sackings on Tuesday.

“They’re great men and they’ve got families. I don’t wish (being sacked) on anybody,” he said.

“As far as the pressure, do I feel it? Look, I know it’s there. This wouldn’t be such an enjoyable job if there wasn’t some.”

Game one of the State of Origin series kicks off on Wednesday night and Knights Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai are among those who will feature.

O’Brien said he had yet to determine whether the pair would back up from state duties but said the Knights’ form wouldn’t influence his decision.

“We’ll just see how they are, how they present, how they perform in those games,” he said.

“I won’t sacrifice a player given where we are on the ladder. That won’t be a factor. If the guys are good to go, they’re good to go.”

O’Brien said Tex Hoy and Simi Sasagi would likely slot in for Ponga and Gagai, respectively, if they needed to be rested for the Knights’ game against the Penrith Panthers on Sunday.