Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo breaks his silence on Josh Addo-Carr scandal as Bulldogs coach addresses whether positive cocaine test REALLY affected footy side before Manly clash

Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo insists Josh Addo-Carr’s cocaine saga did not distract the Bulldogs from their short-lived NRL finals campaign.

But as the curtain comes down on the feel-good story of the NRL season, Ciraldo is unsure whether his side’s resurgent campaign can truly be considered successful.

The Bulldogs bowed out of the finals on Sunday afternoon, victims of a 24-22 defeat from fast-finishing Manly in the second elimination final at Accor Stadium.

After further analysis of his roadside sample confirmed a positive reading for cocaine, Addo-Carr watched from afar as the Bulldogs controlled large stretches of the game, before falling victim to a late match-winner from Tolu Koula.

But Ciraldo did not believe the saga distracted from his side’s preparations.

‘It’s hard to say whether it had an impact or not, (but) I thought we handled it great. Having a leader like Gus (head of football Phil Gould) was awesome for me and the playing group,’ Ciraldo said.

‘You always look at the playing group and think ‘How is it affecting them?’ They came to me and said, ‘This is not a distraction for us. We’re right to go.’ And it showed out there tonight how well they prepared all week.