Covid smashes the Bulldogs as ‘too many’ players test positive – with club possibly unable to field a team against the Broncos unless the NRL grants them a special exemption
- Canterbury boss Phil Gould announced ‘too many’ players have tested positive
- Says club will need a special exemption from the NRL to fill roster for next game
- ‘At least four’ players struck down, injuries are making hit to team’s depth worse
Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has revealed that several Canterbury players have returned positive Covid tests and the club has been forced to ask the NRL for a special exemption to fill their roster ahead of their game against Brisbane on Friday night.
‘Covid and injury issues @NRL_Bulldogs this morning,’ Gould wrote in a tweet on Monday.
‘Players have been sent for PCR tests to confirm RAT results. We will be applying to NRL for exemptions to fill our player quotas for this trip to Brisbane. The world these days.’
Asked how many players returned positive RATs, Gould said, ‘Too many.’
COVID and injury issues @NRL_Bulldogs this morning. Players have been sent for PCR tests to confirm RAT results. We will be applying to NRL for exemptions to fill our player quotas for this trip to Brisbane. The world these days
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) April 19, 2022
Dogs boss Phil Gould replied ‘too many’ when he was asked how many players returned positive RATs for Covid
At least four players returned positive RATs, according to the Daily Telegraph, which reported most of the team’s squad attended a dinner on Tuesday night.
Centre Jake Averillo is one of the players caught up in the drama, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
All NRL players must return a negative RAT result before being allowed to train under NRL rules.
In addition to the Covid drama, Canterbury are dealing with a number of injuries that are further testing their depth, with Gould outlining their roster struggles in a tweet on Tuesday night.
Last-placed Canterbury have asked the NRL for a special exemption to fill their roster before their trip to Brisbane for Friday night’s game against the Broncos
‘Bulldogs used 22 players in first 6 rounds. This week club struggled to name 24 players who are available.
‘RFM [Raymond Faitala-Mariner], Matt Doorey, Braidon Burns, Jack Hetherington, Paul Alamoti (returning from injury), Chris Patolo are unavailable. Several of the named 24 are also unavailable,’ he wrote.
More to come…