Josh Addo-Carr was so adamant he had done nothing wrong that he urged the Bulldogs to have the results of his second drug test fast-tracked.
The Bulldogs asked Addo-Carr if he wanted them to expedite the process, and he said yes. That’s how confident he was that his second test would prove negative after he allegedly failed a road-side drug test.
Addo-Carr’s management said on Friday he would accept the $682 fine and a three-month suspension from driving after the second test came back positive to cocaine. He will not have to front court.
He has maintained all along that he did not take any illegal substance. During multiple conversations with Bulldogs officials, Addo-Carr has not wavered, maintaining he did not touch cocaine. He was given a number of opportunities to confess, but instead chose to try to get the results fast-tracked.
If you want further evidence of how strongly he believed he had done no wrong, here is the statement he signed off on for this column on Thursday, the day before his test came back positive.
“First of all I want to say sorry to my team and our fans for all headlines and discussion around me and the club,” he said. “I know I’ve done nothing wrong and my name will be cleared in time.
“It’s frustrating that the club has to deal with this situation and I feel awful for that. I want it to be known that I didn’t take drugs and I look forward to my name being cleared.
“I want to thank everyone at the club, especially Gus [general manager Phil Gould], [chairman] Adam [Driussi] and [coach] Cameron [Ciraldo].
“Until my name is cleared, I will do whatever is best for the team. My entire focus is on today [the elimination final against Manly] and my heart is with the boys. I hope I get the chance to show what the club means to me next week.”
Addo-Carr’s support for the club was originally going to be the story that would appear in this space, but obviously it has been overtaken by the events on Friday. However, he still agreed for that statement to run in the knowledge that the club was in the process of trying to get his test results earlier.
Embattled Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr.Credit: Getty Images
The obvious next step is to see what this means for his career, and while a positive drug test isn’t the worst thing a player could do, it is the way the story has played out that could ultimately do the most harm. In the first instance, Addo-Carr said his test was inconclusive and then negative.
He maintained that story when asked by anyone what had happened, including Gould. There is no stronger ally for the player than Gould and he has dealt with many similar situations in the past. The only thing he asks of a player who is in any trouble is transparency and honesty. How he and the rest of the club react now will be very interesting.
Hunt for new job?
Ben Hunt has every right to question what is going on at St George Illawarra after leaks about his, and other players’, performance reviews made their way into the media.
What hasn’t been reported is that Hunt’s salary was raised in his review. He was told he was not playing up to his pay packet. That is harsh and uncalled-for.
Hunt did not dispute it at the time of the conversation, but once that information reached those close to Hunt it certainly became cause for concern.
Aren’t the Dragons responsible for paying him the big bucks?
Hunt is still one of the premier halfbacks in the NRL, but like so many of the Dragons, he ran out of steam towards the end of the season. The problem for the Dragons is there are very few halfbacks on the market. The club has also lost a couple of promising halves from their junior system.
Hunt is a quality person and a quality player, and it may be in his interests to get away from a club that has been so inconsistent in its attitude towards him.
You will remember, the club put its foot down and would not allow him to leave when he wanted a release last year, and now it appears they won’t stand in his way if he wants to leave. The problem for the Dragons is that there are no options to replace him, at least ones that are ready-made.
Cherry bomb
Cooper Cronk has launched an extraordinary attack on his fellow Queensland half Daly Cherry-Evans in the lead-up to Manly’s sudden-death clash with the Bulldogs on Sunday.
It is all football related – as everything is with Cronk – but it is a brutal assessment of DCE’s defence, and it is interesting Cronk had no issues taking on the Queensland captain and the Australian halfback.
Cronk was speaking on The Matthew Johns Podcast this week, but the comments have not been widely picked up by the media – until now.
Defensive flaws: Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans.Credit: Kate Geraghty
“Cherry-Evans, for an experienced half, he is reckless sometimes with the way he puts pressure on his outside guys,” Cronk said. “The Dogs did it to him the last couple of weeks. The Sharks did it to him on the weekend.”
Referencing a try scored by Bronson Xerri , which was created by Toby Sexton, Cronk said: “Here’s another one. Like, you just don’t come up and turn in like that. It basically says to the Dogs, ‘Pass around me and we’ll get the try in the corner’.”
Cronk doubled down, showing a try Cronulla scored against Manly.
“This one here was crazy – you just come up, turn in and don’t give your outside players a chance to follow you in,” Cronk said.
The King’s speech
Clint Gutherson professed his undying love for Parramatta at their awards night during the week. But a quip about Eels recruitment left some at the club cranky.
Gutherson, known as “the King”, has been linked to a move away from Parramatta, but from the way he was speaking, he is committed to riding out the storm.
He said he would be at the Eels until they tapped him on the shoulder to leave, as they did with Reagan Campbell-Gillard. He also admitted that changes needed to be made during the year, despite being a strong supporter of ex-coach Brad Arthur.
Gutherson also understands the need for a roster overhaul, after the Eels won just seven of 24 games to finish third last, and is committed to helping turn the club around. It was a surprise that he was beaten to the prestigious Ken Thornett Medal as the club’s player of the year by Campbell-Gillard, as Gutherson has long been the Eels’ heart and soul.
It was also surprising to see interim coach Trent Barrett, who is on the way out of the club, get emotional about his days at the Eels.
Roosters link is news to Ponga
The Knights are fed up with rumours linking Kalyn Ponga to rival teams, most notably the Sydney Roosters. For the record, the Roosters say they are likely to extend James Tedesco’s contract during the off-season for another year, keeping him at the club until the end of 2026.
Newcastle have heard stories linking Ponga to the Roosters for weeks and say they have no intention to release Ponga early from his contract, which ends in 2027, and there is no way the Roosters would ever be a club they would let him join.
The Knights say there is no credibility to suggestions Ponga wants to leave the club. Ponga was genuinely taken aback when I told him about the stories linking him to the Roosters. The look on his face when I put it to him indicated that the idea was news to him.
Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga.Credit: Getty Images
The Knights know the rumours are based on tension in the recent past between Ponga’s dad, Andre, and Newcastle recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan. Things did not go well between the pair when O’Sullivan was negotiating with Andre to try to bring Kalyn to the Dolphins when he was their recruitment manager.
I have tried to contact Andre to verify this and the story that he did not want to shake O’Sullivan’s hand when he joined the Knights. Andre has not responded.
The Knights also say Kalyn has a working relationship with O’Sullivan; that it is free of tension and there is no drama between the pair.
The link to the Roosters stems from the appointment of Clint Zammit to their recruitment team to work with Daniel Anderson. Zammit has an excellent relationship with the Ponga family, but that doesn’t guarantee the signing of a player many consider to be among the best in the game.
There is no question the Roosters will need a new fullback from, likely, 2027 when Tedesco leaves, but that appears to be a position they have covered for now.
Wayne relief
Master coach Wayne Bennett might be 74, but his work ethic hasn’t diminished. Bennett was spotted at South Sydney’s Maroubra headquarters during the week in an indication of his eagerness to get involved with the Rabbitohs again — and also his realisation of the size of task he has in front of him.
The best line of the Rabbitohs presentation night belonged to interim coach Ben Hornby, who said when he pulled his notes out for his speech: ″Wayne wrote them for me.″The Rabbitohs finished second last after sacking previous coach Jason Demetriou in April.
Ref and tumble
There has been anger at the dropping of referee Adam Gee from the top four referees. He has been a favourite because of his historically low penalty counts. However, what those singing his praises maybe don’t know is that he has issued more penalties than any referee this season.
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