Bulldogs get record fine for Mad Monday celebrations
SYDNEY: Canterbury has been slugged with a record $A250,000 fine by the NRL, while Bulldogs players have received another $A90,000 in sanctions for their Mad Monday antics.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has sought to draw a line in the sand after images of Bulldogs players dancing naked on a pub balcony and passing out on the street delivered the code a black eye on the eve of the finals.
Three players are under police investigation, with Greenberg coming down hard on his former club.
Adam Elliott and Asipeli Fine were both fined
$A25,000 by the club with $A10,000 suspended after they were photographed nude.
Marcelo Montoya — who was pictured throwing up and passed out on the street — and Zac Woolford were also fined $A10,000, half of which was suspended.
Staff members, including coach Dean Pay and football manager Gareth Holmes, who were present will also be questioned as part of a club investigation into their disastrous postseason celebrations.
Greenberg said he took a dim view of the incident given the event was organised by the club and senior officials were present at the Harbour View Hotel in Sydney’s The Rocks.
‘‘The club organised the event and failed to implement the most basic of measures to ensure it was conducted in an appropriate way,’’ he said.
‘‘The club’s failure to manage the event followed specific directives to all clubs to ensure these type of events do not damage our game.
‘‘The players’ behaviour embarrassed themselves, their club and the game.’’
The NRL’s $A250,000 fine is the biggest handed down by Rugby League Central for player misbehaviour.
Greenberg, a former CEO of the Bulldogs, said he wanted to send a message after the drama diverted attention from the first week of the finals.
Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said the club would reply to the NRL’s breach notice in the next five days in the hope of having the fine reduced.
While accepting the players behaved inappropriately, he said the club disagreed with the severity of the sanctions.
‘‘While the club is disappointed at the severity of the fine, it accepts the images and behaviours on the day were unacceptable and a poor reflection on the game,’’ Hill said.
‘‘The club will now hold a full review and put steps in place to ensure this never happens again.’’
Hill also said the club was set to scrap future Mad Monday celebrations. — AAP