Josh Addo-Carr intends to be reinstated to the Bulldogs’ side for the second week of the NRL finals should Canterbury defeat Manly on Sunday afternoon.
Canterbury football boss Phil Gould has confirmed a “very upset” Addo-Carr will not feature in Sunday’s do-or-die final against Manly.
Gould claimed on Tuesday morning that the star winger had made the decision himself so as not to be a distraction to the team as it prepares to play its first final in eight years. He was not named in the team to play Manly when the team lists were announced on Tuesday afternoon.
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Addo-Carr returned a positive test for cocaine during a roadside police test on Friday night, but police have sent a second test off for examination.
After his first test allegedly came back positive, police required Addo-Carr to undergo a second.
It could take up to three months for the results of the second test to be returned, meaning the Bulldogs are unlikely to have any more clarity before next weekend.
According to sources who spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald on the condition of anonymity, Addo-Carr wants to return to the side if the Bulldogs prevail in their first final.
Should the Bulldogs keep their premiership hopes alive, the Bulldogs will need to decide whether to bring Addo-Carr back into the fold.
Gould says the club has not stood the player down but he has done so himself despite pleading his innocence.
“Josh vehemently defends himself here and his innocence in this matter,” Gould told media on Tuesday.
“As far as he’s concerned he’s done nothing wrong. He’s taken no drugs and he can’t understand why he tested positive once at the scene of this roadside test on Friday night.
“I want to emphasise that Josh believes he is completely innocent, he’s been quite concerned by what’s happened in the last 24 hours and can’t understand how he’s tested positive.
“I’m convinced that when Josh left the scene of the roadside test on Friday night he was convinced that would be the end of it.
“It’s probably been said that Josh in some way has lied to us, or misled us. I guess there are degrees of truth and Josh in his own way felt this matter wouldn’t be raised again.
“I don’t think he has deliberately misled me or lied to me. He probably didn’t give me the whole version of what happened there on the night.
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“We accept Josh’s belief in his innocence. I’m convinced in Josh’s mind he probably thought we would never hear about this, so he probably didn’t tell me the whole truth of the first positive or what it read.”
Gould says they’ve been informed by police the results of the second test could take “eight to 10 weeks” meaning Addo-Carr may not play again even if the Bulldogs make a run to the grand final.
He did not rule out Addo-Carr having his contract torn up if the second test does come back positive.
“If it comes back positive Josh will have to explain to us how it got into his system,” Gould said.
He confirmed Addo-Carr has engaged lawyers in preparation for potentially being charged by police.
Appearing earlier on Nine’s Today on Tuesday morning, Gould admitted he was unsure whether Addo-Carr had deliberately misled the club or did so unintentionally.
Gould then met with other Bulldogs bosses where they discussed the situation.
“I’ll have my recommendations about how I think the week should go forward. It’s a very, very important week,” Gould said on Tuesday morning.
“I’m very disappointed… we need to make a decision today to work out… what we’re doing with Josh this week in particular, so the team can get on with its preparation.
“You’ve got to understand that it’s going to be hard for Josh to be able to concentrate on the game. It’s going to be a distraction for the rest of the team. I need to speak to Josh again now.
“Josh is vehemently defending himself that he has not taken the drug that he’s alleged to have taken. He’s saying that he’s never taken (cocaine) and he hasn’t taken it.”
Addo-Carr, 29, is one of the most high-profile players in the game and is believed to be earning about $550,000 a year from the Bulldogs.
Gould says Addo-Carr had been at a team hotel in Sydney on Friday night – despite not playing against the Cowboys on Saturday – when he briefly left “to go to a convenience store”.
Addo-Carr was then pulled over for a random roadside drugs test, which police say he failed and so was placed under arrest while they conducted a second test.
Gould says Addo-Carr told the club on Saturday he had tested negative on the second test and was allowed to drive away from the scene.
But police say it is standard protocol to allow drivers to leave and the second test had been sent for further examination.
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”He said it was a negative test and he was free to go,” Gould said of Addo-Carr.
“As it turns out, Josh did fail a drug test. As I understand it, there’s now new legislation and a new procedure where they can actually do a second test on the scene. He was put under arrest for the purposes of that second test, which was in the back seat of the patrol car.
“Josh felt he was negative because he was allowed to go. He was allowed to get in his car and go. I’m yet to confirm that that’s actually the case because I haven’t spoken to police.
“But that sample has now been sent away for testing. They don’t send negative samples away for testing. So we can only assume he failed the second test as well.”
Gould admitted it was a shame the incident was stealing headlines from Canterbury’s return to finals.
“I feel for our staff and our sponsors and all our fans and everyone that’s buying a ticket to this week’s game. And we’ve qualified for the final for the first time in eight years. It’s a big year for the club,” he said.
“We want to get out there and perform well on Sunday, and that’s our focus at the moment, is to give the team every chance to prepare.
“We’ll look after Josh and whatever happens to him, and make sure that he’s OK as well. But we’ve got some big decisions to make this morning.”