Cap squeeze bites Dogs hard
You'd be excused for thinking that Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant was the only concern coming out of the meeting with the clubs this week.
But while Grant's job appears to be on the line again, the biggest losers on the day were the Bulldogs. They went into the meeting seeking a big lift in the salary cap so they can rebuild their team.
Clearly, chairman Ray Dib was confident about winning the battle because his club has been spending up on the likes of Aaron Woods and Kieran Foran to bolster their roster for next year. In fact, even as the meeting was taking place, they announced yet another signing with Fa'amanu Brown leaving the Sharks to link up with the Dogs for two seasons.
But Dib didn't bank on the push-back from other clubs, who are determined to keep the salary cap at a manageable level so they can secure their long-term financial future. It means Dib and the Bulldogs have been left with a giant headache that will force them to cut even more players from the club's roster. And any talk of the club signing Cooper Cronk has been extinguished.
Club sources say the Dogs need to shed up to $1 million worth of contracts in the next few months if they are to comply with the expected salary cap. That does not include Josh Reynolds, whose contract expires at the end of the year and was never part of the club's cap problems for 2018.
So, apart from Sam Kasiano, who is headed to the Storm, the likes of Greg Eastwood, Moses Mbye, James Graham and Josh and Brett Morris are the names being bandied around. I talked to Mbye, Graham and the Morris twins, and none of them want to go.
Rival clubs realise the Dogs are going to have to embark on a fire sale, which would see them share the cost of some players' contracts next year. Bulldogs bosses keep saying they want to keep all their stars, but after this week's meeting, that's just not going to be possible.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rug...story-for-league-meninga-20170520-gw9f1x.html
