Reports in Australia are suggesting that NRL side Canterbury Bulldogs are likely to be punished for breaching the NRL salary cap: but they are only set to get a fine, not a points deduction.
The Bulldogs on Wednesday confirmed that the club had immediately informed League Central of a minor breach in their cap spend last season. The club told the governing body that it was “inadvertent” and “not deliberate”, and by self-reporting are only expected to cop a fine equivalent to the breach.
AAP has reported that the Bulldogs spent up to $160,000 over the cap, however the NRL has yet to decide on a suitable penalty and are waiting on the club for final figures.
“We are awaiting the final Bulldogs audit for the year to determine the extent of the breach,” an NRL spokersperson told AAP on Thursday.
The NRL posted a statement on its website on Thursday in which chief executive Raelene Castle said: “The Bulldogs hold the salary cap in the highest of regards and once we identified a potential breach position that we could not rectify for the 2016 season, we reported this to the NRL.
“The cap position will not be finalised until the NRL have completed their salary cap audit process across all 16 NRL clubs,” Castle said.
