A top 30 player at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs reportedly walked out of training five weeks ago due to mental health reasons after allegedly being forced to wrestle more than 12 of his teammates.
First reported byย News Corp, the player who hasn't been named due to the seriousness of his mental state, turned up late to training five weeks ago, and the publication reports that the coaching staff decided to enforce a punishment due to him not being on time to training.
This comes despite the player believing he was "well within the time limit set for training to begin".
The punishment reportedly saw him wrestle more than 12 players, allegedly enforced by the coaching staff, and the player has vowed not to return despite being contracted until the end of next season.
The accusation has since found the attention of the Rugby League Players Association, who are investigating.
"The RLPA is aware of a matter and we will continue working with the player and his representatives to address it. Once we have completed that process, we will then contact club officials,โ RLPA CEO Clint Newton said, via News Corp.
โWe must stress that matters of this nature are incredibly private and confidentiality should be respected.โ
News Corp also revealed that Braidon Burns is believed to have played his final game with the club. This came as he had some concerns after a training session last week before speaking to the club's General Manager, Phil Gould, with his agent Allan Gainey.
However,ย The Sydney Morning Heraldย was told he trained on Tuesday, and Burns posted on his Instagramย that he hasn't left the club and still has a week to go.
The accusation comes in the wake of a Heraldย report earlier this week that "Bulldogs staff were aware of a text message that has been doing the rounds in recent days that claimed up to eight players were unhappy at the club under the coaching of Cameron Ciraldo".
One grievance the players at the club have is the expectation of Ciraldo. It is understood that he expects them to train from 8am to 5:30pm, and that many thought this was unrealistic.
