Speaking for the first time since Xerri's discontent at the Bulldogs emerged, Ciraldo on Wednesday refused to give any guarantee that the 25-year-old would see out the last two seasons of his contract at Canterbury.
The frank and honest press conference came as Bulldogs players boarded a bus for Canberra, wearing Las Vegas themed T-shirts with "we before me" emblazoned on the front.
Xerri was told on Saturday morning that he would be dropped for the Bulldogs' clash with Canberra on Thursday night, after being moved from left centre to right in the pre-season.
Within hours reports emerged that he was unhappy with the club, and could soon seek a release.
"There's plenty of people in the NRL that have reactions that they regret and probably feel like they could have reacted better," Ciraldo said.
"That happens nearly every day in an NRL club. Bronson might have (had) one of those moments."
Ciraldo admitted he had sympathy for Xerri in the fact the situation had quickly leaked to the media.
But he also said he was disappointed by the affair, and the fact it had thrown the Bulldogs back into another media circus on a bye weekend.
"Your first response sometimes you can't control, but your second response you can," Ciraldo said.
"His (best) response right now is to go back to reserve grade and be the best possible player he can be and force his way back into the NRL team.
"Bronson Xerri at his best will force his way back into our team somewhere. The ball's totally in his court."
Ciraldo said Xerri's shift to the right came after Canterbury adopted a more flexible approach over the off-season, and Stephen Crichton trained well on the left.
The coach was confident Bulldogs players had learnt from last year's Lachlan Galvin fiasco, and how to deal with external noise around their roster.
And he pointed to the way Toby Sexton responded to being dropped for Galvin last year as an ideal example of how players could take such news.
"Be upset, but then do what's best for the team," Ciraldo said.
"There's a clear sign written on the wall well before I got here, about 'club first, team second and individual third'. That sign will be here a long time after we're all gone.
"It's our duty in the meantime to make sure we uphold those values and the DNA of our club, and we'll continue to do that."
The "club first, team second, improvement third" motto was also printed on the back of shirts worn by players on Wednesday, after they were also used in Vegas
Xerri's spat has prompted criticism from Bulldogs great Josh Morris, who reminded the centre that Canterbury gave him a lifeline after his four-year drug ban.
The Cronulla junior has not yet requested a release, but a number of clubs are understood to be closely monitoring the situation.
Asked directly whether he expected Xerri to see out his contract, Ciraldo would not guarantee it.
"He's contracted until the end of next year and it's NRL, a lot of things can happen," Ciraldo said.
"We didn't like his reaction to start with, but we're here to support him. And that's coaching.
"Until the day he leaves this club, whether that's 10 days, 10 weeks or 10 years, we'll be here to challenge him and support him."
