Bulldogs respond to Mad Monday antics

THE Bulldogs have taken their whopping Mad Monday fine on the chin but say the fallout to the media storm claimed unseen victims.

CANTERBURY have apologised in a letter to members following the NRL club’s Mad Monday gone wrong, and say the “invasion of privacy” that followed has taken its toll on the players and families involved.

The club was fined a record $250,000 by the NRL for misbehaviour and police also laid charges after naked antics at the Harbour View Hotel in Sydney’s Rocks were revealedby media outlets.

A co-authored letter from chair Lynne Anderson and chief executive Andrew Hill released on Friday, confirmed the club hasreacted to the NRL’s breach notice, but would not go into further detail.

The club’s response to the breach notice will remain confidential as the NRL’s integrity unit’s investigation continues - a decision on whether the fine stands is not expected until after the grandfinal on September 30. Players Adam Elliott and Asipeli Fine, who were charged by police with wilful and obscene exposure, were fined $25,000 each ($10,000 suspended) by the club. Marcelo Montoya $10,000 ($5000 suspended) and Zac Woolford $10,000 ($5000 suspended) were also sanctioned by the Bulldogs.

Police at Harbour View Hotel after Mad Monday.

“As a club we were disappointed at some of the behaviours that took place at our end of season celebration,” the letter stated.

“All parties involved have acknowledged there was behaviour on the day that was not up to the standards expected by our cluband that stronger processes should have been in place to prevent and react to it differently.” Anderson and Hill, who revealed the same function venue had been used by the Bulldogs in 2016 and last year, also took aim at the media coverage of the incident.

“The invasion of privacy that has followed and the subsequent stories that evolved have had a major impact on the individuals involved, their families and the club,” they wrote.

“What we need to remember here is that these are good people who have worked hard within the community and our club.” Anderson and Hill clarified that young playmaker Lachlan Lewis was not at the event, and reports a GoFundMe page had been set up bya member of staff was incorrect.

They said the Bulldogs are continuing their internal review and will “put steps in place to make sure that we respond to thelearnings of this”.

They copped a $250,000 fine.

Originally published as Bulldogs respond to Mad Monday antics