CEO’s Mad Monday fury

FURIOUS NRL CEO Todd Greenberg says action will “no doubt” be taken against Canterbury, claiming the club’s Mad Monday antics have let the game down ahead of the finals this weekend.

The NRL and the Bulldogs have launched an investigation after News Corp pictures showed players stripping naked and vomiting in the street during their end-of-season drinks at a Sydney hotel on Monday night. Police say they have not received an official complaint but are investigating the pub over possible licensing breaches.

An unhappy Greenberg would not speculate on sanctions, but made it clear the Bulldogs would be punished after briefing clubs about Mad Monday etiquette recently.

He says the NRL will an- nounce the punishment after receiving the Bulldogs’ report on the matter today.

“There’s no doubt we will take some action,” Greenberg said. “I want to start talking about the finals series. I am terribly disappointed to even be talking about this today.”

Greenberg said the behaviour had given the game a “black eye” before Friday’s Melbourne versus South Sydney opening qualifier.

“We had a detailed discussion [with clubs about Mad Monday] ... so the expectations were very, very clear and the Bulldogs have let down the game today,” he said.

“I have no problem with people celebrating the end of their season as long as they do it respectfully. On this occasion they have made some poor choices. It’s embarrassing for the players first of all, it’s embarrassing for their club and it’s embarrassing for the game. I just do not understand the fascination with footballers who want to take their clothes off ... it’s idiotic.”

Rugby League Players’ Association CEO Ian Prendergast agreed but said he was concerned about the “intrusive nature of the reporting”.

“While we accept players have stepped out of line on this occasion, they are entitled to let their hair down at the end of a tough year,” he said in a statement. “Given the emotion involved around incidents such as these, it’s important that we all take a deep breath and put things into context, while working through the process in a measured way.”

He said the RLPA would monitor the situation to ensure that the players were “treated fairly”. The Bulldogs held Mad Monday drinks after finishing 12th on the ladder.