Phil Gould has taken a swipe at the NRL after a 'ridiculous' decision after Canterbury were only relieved a fraction of Josh Jackson's salary in their cap following the former skipper's immediate retirement.
After a gruelling 241 NRL games, Jackson hung the boots up in January immediately, his body not able to take the week in, week out vigour of the NRL any longer.
It cost the Bulldogs their skipper, but it was supposed to save them close to $650,000.
Whispers emerged that club officials had pushed Jackson in that direction in a bid to free up money in the cap, which Gould denied at the time.
The club is in the middle of a spending spree, with six club debutants and three NRL debutants named to face Manly over the weekend. They also added Matt Burton, Tevita Pangai Junior and Josh Addo-Carr the year prior, and have signed Stephen Crichton for 2024.
Including a portion of Jackson's 2023 deal in the cap is creating a squeeze, with journalist Danny Weidler revealing on 100% Footy that the NRL “put a few hundred thousand, maybe $200,000” into the Bulldogs' cap.
Gould revealed his angst over the situation whilst speaking on the program.
“It's a stupid rule, we've appealed it and they haven't responded, as well,” Gould said on 100% Footy.
“We'll leave it there.”
Despite retiring, Jackson is still a fixture in Belmore, now working as Canterbury's strength and conditioning coach. He's one of a number of ex-Bulldogs employed by the club in a bid to bring back the 'Dogs of War' culture around the team.
This article would make more sense if you were to quote the rule, and explain what is its impact on the Bulldog’s cap.
As it is, you could replace the entire article with a single sentence:
“Bulldogs bosses fume as NRL Central allows them salary cap relief for only a fraction of retired Josh Jackson’s contracted 2023 pay”