The National Rugby League has decided to issue the Bulldogs with a breach notice, deducting 37 NRL competition points from their 2002 season tally and imposing a $500,000 fine on the club.

These 37 points constitute all points earned based on actual performances up to this point in the season; upcoming matches over the next three weeks will remain unaffected.

Additionally, the Bulldogs must take immediate action to comply with the salary cap regulations by the beginning of the 2003 season.

Today’s decision follows a meeting with the National Rugby League Board, prompted by the club’s admission of deliberately deceiving the NRL and rival teams regarding salary cap breaches totaling over $1 million across the past two seasons.

Further NRL investigations have uncovered additional breaches exceeding this amount, along with undisclosed documentation related to payments made to players, highlighting the calculated nature of these rule violations.

For the sake of expediency and clarity during the hearing process, the NRL will limit the breach findings to matters supported by clear evidence.

The NRL plans to conduct another audit of the club later this year and cautions that any further undisclosed breaches detected thereafter will incur significant new penalties.

Moreover, the NRL intends to promptly address breaches related to statutory declarations made to NRL auditors by club officials over the past two seasons, as well as violations involving the conduct of officials.

Given the severity and deliberate nature of these breaches, the NRL believes it has no choice but to withdraw the competition points earned this season at the expense of other teams and impose a substantial fine.

The NRL asserts that the only outcome of these breaches has been to assemble and maintain a playing squad that exceeded the agreed-upon rules binding all clubs, including the Bulldogs.

GET MORE NEWS HERE