Another two Bulldogs players have been sent for COVID testing after an investigation found five players breached an NRL directive by attending a Bondi pub last Sunday night.
Canterburys Sione Katoa and Corey Waddell have been isolated after it emerged the pair joined Dylan Napa, Brandon Wakeham and Aaron Schoupp at the Royal Hotel, later listed as a COVID exposure site.
Napa, Wakeham and Schoupp have all returned negative tests after visiting the venue, which was attended by a person for up to two hours before they later tested positive for the virus.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Vlandys said the protocol breach would not shut down the NRL, but the last thing he wanted to hear was that more than the three of the originally reported players had been at the establishment.
The NRL had provided a directive to clubs only days earlier to avoid pubs, cafes and restaurants in the Waverley area, which had been deemed a COVID hotspot.
The Bulldogs had sent regular notices to their players. Its believed the squad was being sent daily alerts on updated COVID protocols by football staff.
Napa, Wakeham and Schoupp are facing sanctions for the pub visit even though they checked in using QR codes. According to sources familiar with the situation, Katoa and Waddell also used QR codes.
The Bulldogs have been banned from training until all players have returned negative results and there are now doubts about whether the five players will be able to feature against Manly next Saturday.