Cameron Ciraldo has been named as the newest head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs made an official statement on Sunday afternoon, confirming that the current Penrith Panthers assistant coach has been handed a five-year deal.
"The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are pleased to announce that Cameron Ciraldo has been appointed as NRL Head Coach for five seasons, commencing in 2023," the statement read.
"As the club continues to build for long-term sustained success, we are pleased Cameron shares the vision of ensuring our football programs are best-in-class.
"With respect to Cameron and the Penrith Panthers, we will not be making any further comment until the end of the season."
Reports from both News Corp and Nine mastheads originally broke the story, with the 37-year-old reportedly informing his current club of his decision at training on Sunday.
Ciraldo's future has been widely speculated on this season, with the in-demand coach declining a five-year offer from the Wests Tigers in June.
According to News Corp, Ciraldo’s existing relationship with Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould - who was previously GM at the Panthers - was a key factor in his decision.
A former Sharks, Knights and Panthers player, the Sydney-born coach was promoted to the role of assistant coach at Penrith in 2017.
He acted as caretaker coach for the club for six games in 2018 after the sacking of Anthony Griffin before reverting to his previous role following the arrival of Ivan Cleary.
Ciraldo - who turns 38 in October - will become the youngest head coach in the NRL once he begins in his role with the Bulldogs.
