Things move fast in the NRL; this time last week, it seemed that Josh Addo-Carr's time as a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldog was all but over but jump forward seven days and it's likely that he will remain with the club.
Addo-Carr missed the Bulldogs' return to finals footy this season, after he chose to sit out following allegations that he had failed a roadside drug test earlier that week.
While it was looking likely that the team would part ways with their former Origin winger, the team has now backflipped on this, despite the NRL handing down a Breach Notice.
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Why Bulldogs won't sack Addo-Carr despite drug scandal
As the Addo-Carr saga slowly came to light, revealing the player tested positive to two separate road-side drug tests during an incident earlier this month and may have misled club officials about it, it felt as if his Bulldogs tenure was coming to a close.
However, NRL expert Phil Rothfield believes that the team will not be eager to terminate his contract despite these issues.
"I’m told Canterbury don’t want to sack him, even if the finding comes back as we expect it will," Rothfield said.
"The reason being if they sack him, he can go and get another job straight away.
"If they hang on to him and St George [want to sign him] for example, who need a replacement for Zac Lomax, St George will have to contribute to his money and Canterbury will get something out of it.
"His manager Mario Tartak insists Canterbury won’t sack him. There’s a chance of getting an earn, maybe $100,000 or $200,000 out of him.
"There’s a couple of clubs now who has been waiting for Canterbury to sack him."
Josh Addo-Carr issued with a Breach Notice by the NRL
"Addo-Carr was issued with a Penalty Notice by NSW Police earlier this month," the NRL noted in a brief statement to announce a Breach Notice.
The offence related to Addo-Carr having the presence of an illicit drug in his system while driving a vehicle.
"The Breach Notice alleges that Addo-Carr has engaged in conduct which is against the law and has brought the game and his club into disrepute," the NRL surmised.
"Addo-Carr has five business days to respond to the Breach Notice."
