‘Kick up the arse I needed’: Why being dropped was good for Bronson Xerri

Bronson Xerri has insisted he will see out his contract with Canterbury, and said that being dropped to reserve grade was “the kick up the arse I needed.”

Captain Stephen Crichton’s shoulder injury paved the way for Xerri to return to the NRL side on Thursday night, and he was more than solid at left centre as the Dogs triumphed 32-16 over premiership favourites Penrith.

Xerri reportedly wanted out of the Bulldogs after being told he would be dropped leading into the round-three clash against Canberra. There were also suggestions Xerri was unhappy about being moved from his preferred left side of the field to the right over the summer, while the Dogs had already told him there was no appetite to resign him beyond 2027.

The 25-year-old admitted the past few weeks had been tough, but nothing compared to the four years he spent on the sidelines because of a performance-enhancing drug ban.

“It’s been tough,” Xerri said. “I went home [after being dropped] and asked some hard questions about myself and came back.

“I’ve been through something similar to this – much worse, to be fair – so I know how to handle these things. I just got a bit comfortable in myself. I wasn’t really giving it my all at training. So it was that kick up the arse I needed.

“When it’s all gone, you don’t realise what you’ve got. When I was playing NSW Cup, I was like, ‘This is not where I belong, this is not where I want to be’. I came into training and just put my best foot forward.”

Xerri praised coach Cameron Ciraldo for supporting him, and his teammates who made a point of checking in on his wellbeing.

When asked if he wanted out of the club, Xerri said: “I’m not going to say anything, sorry.

“Whatever was reported was out of my control. As long as the team and all the boys knew my intentions with everything.”

As for playing on the left edge, Xerri said: “I definitely feel more natural there. But I am capable of doing the job on the right. Ciro has spoken about that. Wherever he wants to put me, I’ll play.”

Ciraldo said of Xerri’s performance: “The most pleasing thing, which no one would have seen, is how well he was communicating out there.”

Xerri will get at least the next month to retain his spot, with Crichton battling a grade-five AC joint injury.

Despite Xerri’s presence on the left, the Bulldogs had plenty of joy utilising their right edge and unleashing Lachie Galvin and Jacob Preston against young Penrith pair Blaize Talagi and Casey McLean, who was hit with a one-match ban on Friday for his high shot on Max King.

It was reported on Friday King had suffered a broken jaw, but the front-rower showed tremendous courage to finish the game.