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Five Canterbury Bulldogs players are set to join Joseph Suaalii in making a shock collective switch to rugby union, according to reports.
Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Jake Averillo and Ryan Sutton have all been confirmed to have signed long-term deals with Australian Super Rugby clubs, leaving the Bulldogs and the NRL scrambling for answers.
The identity of the fifth player is unknown.
In a further twist, some of the quintet are set to play their first Super Rugby matches in a matter of days, with Addo-Carr and Burton signing contracts with the Melbourne Rebels to begin their rugby union careers on April 10, while Averillo is expected to suit up for the Western Force for the first time when they take on the Crusaders in New Zealand on May 6.
It’s believed the Super Rugby teams, with the backing of Rugby Australia, chose to swoop on the Bulldogs alone after club general manager of football Phil Gould publicly urged the Sydney Roosters to immediately part ways with the Wallabies-bound Suaalii rather than retain him until his contract expires in 18 months’ time.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
“Go now. Don’t let the door hit you on the arse on the way out. Go. Go now. Gone. He’s made his decision. You sign a contract for rugby 18 months before his league contract ends,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night.
One senior Rebels insider has been quoted as saying: “Let’s put Gus’s word to the test, eh?”
The bombshell news leaves the Bulldogs scrambling to replenish their squad for the remainder of the season, with the club putting an ad on employment website SEEK in a desperate bid to find replacements in time for their clash with the Cowboys tomorrow.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Gould, who has named himself to replace Sutton in the second row for his first NRL game since 1986, expressed his shock at the sudden move.
“When ‘Cirro’ [Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo] phoned me this morning and told me what had happened, I thought it must be an April Fool’s Day joke,” Gould told reporters.
“Then I discovered that it was.”
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