Player’s dad told Doggies to expect a big lawsuit
In the aftermath of the wrestling session that led to Jackson Topine eventually ending his time at the Canterbury Bulldogs, his father, Marcus, sent a text to the club promising the biggest lawsuit the game has seen.
The message was sent to a Bulldogs staffer early on July 19 last year and it set the tone for what we are seeing now. Topine’s lawyer lodged a $4 million claim against the Bulldogs in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday that alleges his client was incapable of playing the sport following the wrestling session on July 18, 2023, due to the physical and mental harm it caused.
Topine began legal proceedings against the Bulldogs in relation to an incident last year in which he alleges he was punished by head trainer Travis Touma for reporting late to training and was allegedly told to wrestle 30 to 35 of his teammates.
However, at the training session that followed the wrestling punishment, Topine met Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo and Touma on the field where it was explained why he wasn’t among the 17 players named for the weekend’s clash against the Panthers. They questioned him about what took place in regards to the punishment and how he felt about the session.
He did not complain about the wrestling, but he did question whether he was late for training. He did not understand the reason for the punishment, but did not complain about it.
Multiple sources at the Bulldogs, speaking privately and on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed this. This will form part of the Bulldogs’ defence if the case gets to court.
In fairness to Topine, he was always seen as a good trainer; he did not shirk his responsibilities.
The Bulldogs are adamant they take the mental health of their players seriously. The football department questions them about various aspects of their lives regularly. The club has a welfare department, which supplements the work of the football department.
The Bulldogs say Topine did not tell anyone at the club he was suffering from mental health issues.
Topine was made 18th man after he had a substandard game against Brisbane in round 20 last year. According to the official NRL statistics, he missed four tackles. It would have hurt that, with many players out due to injury, he still could not make the team.
To his credit, after the wrestling session, he trained with the side and went into camp at Rooty Hill in the lead-up to the Panthers clash the following round, and performed his 18th-man duties.
The following week, on the Monday night, he told the club he needed a week off, and was never seen again.
The club paid him for more than three months and tried many times to contact him. He did not respond to texts and phone calls, and the club resorted to sending him registered mail to make sure he was getting their correspondence.
He was even invited to come back to see the players in the last week of the season, but did not show up. The Bulldogs kept the NRL informed of the situation, including when they stopped paying him.
The Bulldogs declined to comment, while Topine’s lawyer Abdul Reslan said: “As this matter touches on the Bulldogs’ possible response to my clients’ formal claim, then it is proper that he should deal with the Bulldogs’ response formally in due course, as may be required.”