Overview

• Canterbury’s season ended with a 46-26 semi-final defeat to Penrith after an opening-week loss to Melbourne, completing a straight-sets exit despite finishing third after 27 rounds.
• Cameron Ciraldo said he “wouldn’t change a thing,” describing the campaign as part of the club’s growth and noting byes, a taxing Origin period and injuries as learning factors.
• The coach’s mid-season reshuffle brought Lachlan Galvin in for Toby Sexton and shifted Reed Mahoney from starting hooker, a call that drew sustained scrutiny through the late-season fade.
• Ciraldo praised Galvin and Bailey Hayward as standouts in the Penrith loss, with Hayward supplanting Mahoney as first-choice No. 9 and both identified as central to the club’s future.
• Roster churn continues into the off-season with Mahoney bound for the Cowboys and Sexton for Catalans, several early releases confirmed, 2026 additions Kade Dykes and Leo Thompson listed, and new deals for Bailey Hayward and other re-signings.