A surprising decision by Bulldogs star Josh Addo-Carr has left footy experts expecting him to be sacked by the club as he superstar continues to fight to clear his name after testing positive to cocaine.
The Bulldogs bowed out of the finals on Sunday afternoon,victims of a 24-22 defeat from fast-finishing Manly in the second elimination final at Accor Stadium.
The result came at the end of a tumultuous 10 days for Canterbury,whose star winger Addo-Carr stood himself down from the game for fear of his presence sparking a media circus.
The 29-year-old has told club officials he is adamant he did not take cocaine before testing positive to the drug in two samples he gave to police on August 6,and is at a loss to explain the allegedly positive results.
Despite his claims of innocence,Addo-Carr has accepted a three-month driving ban and a $682 fine instead of taking the matter to court,which NRL reporter Phil Rothfield says is very unusual.
'That will drag on this week but I'm pretty sure there will be a big story later this week and that'll be that the Bulldogs will cut Josh Addo-Carr loose,' Rothfield told Sky Radio's Big Sports Breakfast on Monday.
'They got to do their due diligence,they've got to dot their I's and cross their T's with their legal procedures but I think he's done at the Bulldogs.
'He still won't admit guilt but he's paid the fine,which is a very unusual situation.
Top NRL reporters are predicting that Addo-Carr will be sacked by his club soon
'I know I've done nothing wrong and my name will be cleared in time.
'It's frustrating that the club has to deal with this situation and I feel awful for that. I want it to be known that I didn't take drugs and I look forward to my name being cleared.
'I want to thank everyone at the club,especially Gus [general manager Phil Gould],[chairman] Adam [Driussi] and [coach] Cameron [Ciraldo].
'Until my name is cleared,I will do whatever is best for the team. My entire focus is on today [the elimination final against Manly] and my heart is with the boys.
'I hope I get the chance to show what the club means to me next week.'
NRL
© OfficialAffairs
