Bulldogs players shopped around as club looks to offload $1 million of talent
THE Bulldogs must shed $1 million of talent from their salary cap, with a long list of players being shopped around to rival clubs.
NRL
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PLAYER agent David Riolo says he has no issue with Canterbury shopping around his contracted stars, but insists they won’t move on if they don’t find a better option.
Riolo, the agent of captain James Graham and the Morris twins Brett and Josh, confirmed the Bulldogs have had open dialogue about their battles with the salary cap.
REVEALED: The full extent of the Bulldogs’ NRL salary cap woes
The Bulldogs must shed $1 million of playing talent from their cap to ensure they are compliant for the NRL to register the contracts of incoming stars Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods.
Canterbury’s predicament has drawn little sympathy from the NRL given their failure to heed multiple warnings from the governing body.
Riolo said the Bulldogs had given Graham and the Morris twins approval to look elsewhere despite them being contracted until the end of next year.
All three players have fielded offers from rival NRL teams, but at this stage don’t want to leave Canterbury.
This is placing pressure on Bulldogs officials, who must part ways with players to be under the cap and have the Foran and Woods deals officially rubber-stamped by the NRL.
Riolo, though, says his players’ preferences will come before Canterbury’s difficult situation.
“I’m not bothered that players still under contract have the opportunity to move on,” Riolo said.
“As long as there is open dialogue, which there has been in this case.
“Warren McDonnell, Des and Ray Dib have all said to me that no one has to move or do anything, but if they get opportunities and it suits them it might solve some problems for us.
“I don’t have a problem with that.
“If the right deal came up, I’m sure the boys would look it at. But if not, they will stay where they are.”
If Graham and the Morris twins decide to honour their contracts it will leave Canterbury in a difficult position.
To become cap compliant they have to part ways with several players. The Daily Telegraph understands former New Zealand international Greg Eastwood leads the Bulldogs’ list.
Eastwood has been shopped around to a number of clubs, including his former team Brisbane, but he is yet to land a deal.
Penrith had been linked to the Kiwis’ World Cup winner from 2008, but Panthers officials denied any interest when contacted on Monday.
The Bulldogs could part ways with fringe players such as Michael Lichaa, Matt Frawley and Chase Stanley. However, their minimal wages wouldn’t be enough to place Canterbury under the cap.
This means the Bulldogs would need at least two big-name players to leave.
Canterbury’s decision to give all contracted players permission to look elsewhere has eroded team morale.
On March 30 and again on April 20, the NRL gave all club CEOs salary cap guidance of $9.14 million for next year — despite suggestions the cap could be as high as $10 million at the end of last year.
Since these warning the Bulldogs have added almost $2 million worth of talent after signing Woods (approximately $700,000), Foran ($900,000) and Fa’amanu Brown ($150,000). Their signatures were announced in May.
Negotiations with Foran and Woods were well advanced when the NRL shocked clubs with its original salary cap offer of $8.3 million.
That same month the Bulldogs also offered contract extensions to William Hopoate ($500,000), Marcelo Montoya ($100,000), Kerrod Holland ($150,000) and Reimis Smith ($100,000), before re-signing Danny Fualalo ($100,000) and Adam Elliott ($150,000) in June.
Former Bulldogs back Bryson Goodwin is now at Souths but he feels sorry for his former teammates.
“Being shopped around wouldn’t be very nice or pleasing,” Goodwin said.
“I’m sure they will be trying to keep their heads out of the papers and away from the news. But they’ll have plenty of people talking to them that will know about it.
“So it has to be playing on their minds. ”
BULLDOGS FOR SALE
Chase Stanley — signed to end of 2017
Tyrone Phillips — 2017
Craig Garvey — 2017
Andy Saunders — 2017
Brett Morris — 2018
Josh Morris — 2018
Brenko Lee — 2018
Matt Frawley — 2018
Greg Eastwood — 2018
James Graham — 2018
Raymond Faitala-Mariner — 2019
Danny Fualalo — 2019
Will Hopoate — 2020
David Klemmer — 2020
Marcelo Montoya — 2020
Aidan Tolman — 2020
Moses Mbye — 2020
Josh Jackson — 2020
Adam Elliott — 2020
Kerrod Holland — 2020
Josh Reynolds — signed at Wests Tigers
Sam Kasiano — signed with Melbourne Storm
Michael Lichaa — 2017 and expected to leave
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