Dogs may seek suitors to take Elliott rather than axe him
CANTERBURY has started to shop around troubled forward Adam Elliott.
Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph has been told the Bulldogs have a preference to offload Elliott rather than sack him.
Elliott has been issued a breach notice and fined $10,000 for his toilet tryst with NRLW player Millie Boyle at a Gold Coast restaurant on August 22.
He was stood down immediately from playing for the rest of the season.
Shifting rather than terminating Elliott would seem a softer PR option for Canterbury.
Privately, Canterbury have spoken to rival clubs to gauge any interest in Elliott. After showing curiosity in him last year, Canberra have no desire to sign the backrower for next year.
There are suggestions Canterbury may look to the New Zealand Warriors as a possible home for Elliott. The Dogs coaching staff are acutely aware the club requires an additional hooker.
Elliott, 26, has an annual contract worth around $450,000 and is fighting to remain at Belmore. That money could be directed towards a gamemanaging dummy half.
Elliott’s chances of being retained are rated 50/50 but Canterbury’s ultra-tight salary cap for 2022 won’t help his chances.
He will be given a chance to state his case for retention when he fronts club officials. Canterbury is waiting on the NRL integrity unit to complete their inquiry into the Elliott drama before handing over the findings to Bulldogs management. Once the club has secured the NRL’S conclusion, Bulldogs management will launch their own investigation into the incident.
Those close to Canterbury suggest the club’s director football, Phil Gould, has started rebuilding the club from the ground up by scouting Sydney for the elite Harold Matthews and Jersey Flegg players. The development comes in the same week Canterbury cleaned out 12 players for next season.
They are Dylan Napa, Will Hopoate, Lachlan Lewis, Nick Meaney, Renouf Atoni, Sione Katoa, Dean Britt, Chris Smith, James Roumanos, Brad Deitz, Watson Heleta and Kiko Manu.