Canterbury Bulldogs star walks out of club after being forced to wrestle over TWELVE players as inquiry is launched into ‘punishment’ for training
- A Bulldogs player has walked off Canterbury after a training ‘penalty’
- The star had to struggle with more than a dozen teammates for ‘being late’
- The football club and the RLPA would investigate the incident
A Canterbury star has reportedly walked away from the Bulldogs after reportedly being forced to wrestle at least 12 of his teammates as part of a training penalty.
The NRL club has now launched an investigation into the incident, the Daily Telegraph reports, after the player went missing following a disagreement with coaching staff.
In the incident, which reportedly happened recently, the unnamed player showed up for practice only to be told he was late.
The player allegedly said he thought he was well within the time limit for training, but reportedly had to wrestle more than a dozen of his teammates as “punishment.”
Distraught and upset, the player left training. He is under contract until the end of next season but has reportedly promised not to return.
A Canterbury player has left the club after struggling with 12 players
The recent incident is believed to have happened after staff claimed he showed up late for training
Bulldogs chief Phil Gould had conversations with another player about the nature of training
The Rugby League Players Association confirmed that it was also investigating the incident.
“The RLPA is aware of an issue and we will continue to work with the player and his representatives to address it. Once we complete that process, we will be in touch with club officials,” said RLPA CEO Clint Newton.
“We must emphasize that these matters are incredibly private and confidentiality must be respected.”
Asked about the incident, Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton said: ‘The whole process is very sensitive – I can’t comment.’
The latest incident comes amid reports that another player, Braidon Burns, raised concerns after a training session last week. He joined his manager, Allan Gainey, in meeting with Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould to discuss the situation.
Burns struggled to complete training drills due to a hamstring injury. His agent is now investigating the options for the player in the British Super League.