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Josh Addo-Carr has all but certainly played his last match for Canterbury with St George Illawarra looming as the frontrunner for his services.
The cashed-up Dragons are looking to bolster their strikepower out wide following Zac Lomax’s defection to Parramatta and are trying to offload Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa.
Addo-Carr has been told by Bulldogs officials that he is free to leave a year early despite being under contract for 2025.
There is still a chance that Canterbury could tear up the final year of his deal altogether after his recent drug-driving arrest.
The NRL has hit the former Test winger with a breach notice for bringing the game into disrepute after he fronted the integrity unit last week.
He is staring down the barrel of a four-game ban along with a fine of $15,000, which also includes a $3000 sanction from his involvement in the infamous Koori Knockout brawl last year.
Because he stood himself down from Canterbury’s Elimination Final, that could be taken into account when he cops his ban.
Addo-Carr has continued to claim he does not know how the cocaine that was detected at a roadside test this month got in his system, arguing he did not take illicit drugs.
The 29-year-old has until next Tuesday to respond to the breach notice, but realistically his bigger battle looms at the Bulldogs.
Canterbury bosses are yet to decide what action they will take against him, but there remains every chance he has played his last game for the club.
Addo-Carr has already accepted a $682 fine from NSW Police and three-month ban from driving over the incident, after his roadside test on September 6.
The test also prompted him to stand down from Canterbury’s elimination final against Manly, which they lost 24-22.
Penrith will become the first team to wear a pink jersey in an NRL grand final if results fall as expected in the third week of the play-offs.
The Panthers have donned their black home jersey in the past four grand finals, but things will be different if hot favourites Melbourne and Penrith respectively defeat the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla this weekend.
In that case, this year’s grand final would be the first of the past five that the Panthers enter as the lower-seeded team, meaning they will be unable to wear their jersey of choice.
If they progress, minor-premiers Melbourne would likely pick their dark purple home strip for the decider as they did in the 2017, 2016 and 2009 deciders – the last three when they had preference.
The Panthers’ home strip would create a colour clash with the Storm’s dark purple, as would their Pasifika-inspired alternate strip.
Given teams must wear one of their home, away or alternate strip in the grand final, the situation would leave the Panthers to don the pink strip they debuted for Women In League round in 2009.
The jersey has since garnered enough popularity to become the full-time away jersey, serving as such for the club’s ongoing one during the five-year period of premiership dominance.
The Panthers would become the first team in the premiership’s 117-year existence to wear a wholly pink strip on grand final day.
(Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
Wests Tigers-bound winger Sunia Turuva looked forward to the possibility of wearing the iconic shirt in his final game for the Panthers.
“The pink jersey’s pretty mad. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
But first, the Panthers will sport their Pasifika strip for Saturday’s clash with the Sharks at Accor Stadium, having also donned it in the qualifying-final win over the Roosters.
Club legends and former Samoa internationals Frank Puletua and Joe Galuvao designed the jersey for this season, with team manager Jason Wrigley also playing a big role in its creation.
The chance to wear the Pasifika jersey in finals is especially significant for Maori All Star James Fisher-Harris, Samoa representative Jarome Luai and Fijian international Turuva, all bound for rival clubs next year.
“It’s special,” Luai said.
“I think it’s a great touch from ‘Ive’ (Cleary, coach), especially to wear it in a finals series. I don’t think anyone’s really done that before.
“It’s a big part of ‘Fish”s life, my life, Tito’s (Turuva’s) life as well. I think it’s just a celebration of all of our cultures and what Penrith is like. It’s a multicultural place, community.”
Mal Meninga has stated his disappointment with Kalyn Ponga’s Kangaroos withdrawal with the coach making clear he’s unhappy with the Newcastle star’s decision.
Ponga shocked league officials on Tuesday when he announced via the Knights’ website he did not want to play in the end-of-year Tests instead prioritising his club’s pre-season training.
The fullback claimed he wanted his full focus to be on winning the Knights a premiership and proving himself to be a Newcastle great.
However NRL rules dictate players must make themselves available for all representative fixtures, unless injured, including Test football.
Ponga was believed to be in the mix to be named in Meninga’s squad for the Pacific Championships, starting October 18.
Meninga said on Wednesday he had spoken to the 26-year-old and while he understood Ponga’s motivation was still disappointed by his call.
Mal Meninga. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
“Playing for the Kangaroos is the pinnacle of the game in this country,” Meninga said in a statement.
“I was disappointed not only that Kalyn made the decision that he was unavailable for the Kangaroos, but also the process which led to the decision and the announcement.
“I have spoken to Kalyn since and while I understand his intent, it doesn’t erase the disappointment in the decision.”
The ARL Commission has made a point to make international football a key focus, with Peter V’landys declaring this week he wanted the Kangaroos jersey to be the pinnacle again and the Pacific Championships a successful venture.
Meninga said he was happy to have the support of the chairman.
“I’m pleased that Peter V’landys has come out so strongly and I support the game in ensuring that there is a proper process around players being ruled out of playing for their country,” he said.
Ponga made himself unavailable for State of Origin selection last season, but that came after a long stint out following a concussion.
There are no such injury concerns this time with Ponga confirming in an interview on SEN radio on the weekend he was fit to play for Australia.
Kalyn Ponga. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
But he backflipped on Tuesday.
“I want to win a comp, for me anything short of that isn’t success,” Ponga said.
“My focus has never shifted from wanting to win a premiership with the Knights, that has been my goal since I joined the club in 2018 and continues to be my focus.
“When I’m done, I want to look back at my career with a positive reflection, including people saying he was a great signing and represented our community to the best of his ability.
“For now, I don’t feel like I have earned that yet. That’s why I have made this decision and will work hard every day to chase those goals.”
The NRL could still seek further information from the Knights, with the potential of sanctions for not making a player available for selection without a valid reason.
The Queenslander’s withdrawal means James Tedesco has firmed to retain his spot as Australia’s fullback and captain for the Pacific Championships.
The Sydney Roosters captain was dropped from NSW’s State of Origin side this year but his replacement Dylan Edwards has since battled a knee injury and there is every chance he could be ruled out of the post-season Tests.
Tedesco, meanwhile, delivered arguably his best match of the season to overcome Manly and steer his team into the preliminary final.
with AAP
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