NRL club furious about claims of forced retirement to ease salary cap pressures over ex-St Helens man and over stars

This week Canterbury Bulldogs veteran Josh Jackson announced his retirement.

The decision left the Bulldogs with over $500,000 of salary cap space with recent figures suggesting it was as much as $650,000.

This was said to have eased the club’s cap situation with the Bulldogs nearly letting go of former St Helens star Luke Thompson last year.

The 2019 Harry Sunderland Award winner has earnt huge praise since making the move down under but due to the constraints on the Bulldogs’ cap situation there were rumours that he would be allowed to join Wests Tigers or Melbourne Storm with some links even tying him back to Super League.

In the end, the Bulldogs were able to keep the England prop especially now that Jackson is leaving.

Recent rumours have suggested that this was something they prompted Jackson to do to ease the cap situation with “the likes of Luke Thompson, Corey Allan and Kyle Flanagan in the firing line” according to the Daily Telegraph.

According to the Australian publication, the club are furious over such claims.

They’re also said to be wanting to take Jackson on as a coach.

However, to remove him off the cap and employ him in a new position would require the NRL’s permission.

It is an interesting situation, one that if not resolved in the way that the Bulldogs hope could leave Thompson’s future up in the air.

However, given the fact the club bent over backwards to keep him in 2022, it seems that they will again do the same especially with Thompson telling Serious About Rugby League recently that he has “unfinished business” in the NRL.