The Inspiration Pushing Kikau's Premiership Push
- Author
- Timestamp
Bulldogs star Viliame Kikau has declared his intention to repay coach Cameron Ciraldo with a premiership after praising the mentor for turning Canterbury into title contenders.
The Fijian forward inked a two-year contract extension late last year to extend a long-term relationship with Ciraldo that dates back to their time together at the Panthers.
The pair moved to the Bulldogs together in 2023 and have played a key role in the club's rise from the bottom of the ladder to the top four.
Contracted through to the end of 2028, Kikau recognises he is approaching the end of his career and is determined to deliver Ciraldo his first premiership as a head coach.
Viliame Kikau Try
"[The new deal] was really important for myself and my family," Kikau told reporters in Las Vegas. "I wanted to get that done before the pre-season started.
"I'm happy I could get that done with my managers and the club signing that off and gets me fully focused on this year.
"I'm in the backend of my career now, I was trying to find a place to stay and be secure. With the relationship I have with the coaches, I love the way [Ciraldo] coaches me. I've learnt a lot off him, I owe a lot to Cameron and I'm happy I'm staying."
Match: Bulldogs v Dragons
Round 1 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Dragons
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
- Fox Sports 2
The Bulldogs will open their quest for a title at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night (local time) when they take on the Dragons in the final game of a triple-header in Las Vegas.
Super League clubs Hull KR and Leeds will kick off the day before North Queensland and Newcastle face off.
The NRL takes over Las Vegas
Canterbury officials have spared no expenses in their quest for two competition points, with players completing their first training session at the Las Vegas Raiders' $105 million high-performance centre.
While it's easy to get distracted by the bright lights of Las Vegas, Kikau said the squad is entirely focused on preparing for a tough battle with a rising Dragons side.
"We're a process-driven team," the back-rower said. "Everything we do is about the process. Once we start to focus on the result or what we need to do to repay the club, we go away from the process of how we want to play and prepare throughout the week.
"The club has done a lot with everything they've given us throughout this experience. The ultimate goal is to repay them by going back to Australia with two points."
The Bulldogs are heavy favourites for Saturday's game (local time), with few fans giving St George Illawarra a chance.
The Dragons, however, enter the match with plenty of confidence and are eager to stun their highly-fancied rivals.
First Take: Bulldogs v Dragons
New halfback Daniel Atkinson will take the reins of an attack led by assitant coach Michael Ennis and multiple forwards have undergone off-season transformations to adapt to the modern game.
The club is viewing Saturday's match as a chance to send a message about their premiership credentials this season.
Kikau said the Bulldogs will be on red alert as they look to shut down any chances of an upset.
"The expectations get higher as you get better in this competition," Kikau said. "Teams start coming after you when you're sitting in the top four.
"We know teams will come after us, but we're still driven by our process and if we nail the process we'll be good."
- Catch all the action from the NRL's season opener at Allegiant Stadium LIVE on Fox Sports, Kayo, Nine and WatchNRL.
