7 Sep 2018

Mad Monday costs Bulldogs

5:46 am on 7 September 2018

Canterbury have been slugged with a record $250,000 fine by the NRL while Bulldogs players have been charged by police and copped another $90,000 in sanctions for their Mad Monday antics.

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Photo: Canterbury Bulldogs

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has sought to draw a line in the sand after images of Bulldogs players dancing naked on a pub balcony and passed out on the street delivered the code a black eye on the eve of the finals.

Adam Elliott, 23, and Asipeli Fine, 25, were both fined $25,000 by the club with $10,000 suspended after they were photographed nude on the balcony of the Harbour View Hotel in Sydney's The Rocks.

NSW Police confirmed that two men aged 23 and 25 have been issued with court attendance notices for wilful and obscene exposure and are due to face Downing Centre Local Court on October 24.

Marcelo Montoya - who was pictured having thrown up and passed out on the street - and Zac Woolford were also fined $10,000 by the club, half of which was suspended.

Police said a third man has been issued with an infringement notice for offensive conduct.

The hotel where the players ran amok has been hit with five penalty notices - two for permitting indecent behaviour and three for permitting intoxication on a licensed premises.

A police spokeswoman told AAP no further charges are expected.

Staff members including coach Dean Pay and football manager Gareth Holmes, who were present, will come under scrutiny as part of a club investigation.

Greenberg said he took a dim view of the incident given the event was organised by the club, and senior officials failed to stop the players from behaving boorishly.

"The club organised the event and failed to implement the most basic of measures to ensure it was conducted in an appropriate way," he said.

"The club's failure to manage the event followed specific directives to all clubs to ensure these type of events do not damage our game.

"The players' behaviour embarrassed themselves, their club and the game."

The NRL's $250,000 fine is the biggest handed down by Rugby League Central for player misbehaviour.

Greenberg, a former CEO of the Bulldogs, said he wanted to send a message after the drama diverted attention from the first week of the finals.

Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said the club would reply to the NRL's breach notice in the next five days in the hope of having the fine reduced.

While accepting the players behaved inappropriately, he said the club disagreed with the severity of the sanctions.

Hill also said the club was set to scrap future Mad Monday celebrations.

"While the club is disappointed at the severity of the fine, it accepts the images and behaviours on the day were unacceptable and a poor reflection on the game," Hill said.

"The club will now hold a full review and put steps in place to ensure this never happens again."

-AAP