Bulldogs' season ends in scandal

The Canterbury Bulldogs, Australia's leading team, were effectively dismissed from this year's competition yesterday after the club admitted breaching the league's salary cap rules by more than A$1m (£350,000).

The Sydney-based Bulldogs, who were top of the table with three matches to play, were also fined £175,000 after a week in which the scandalous revelations mounted daily. The chief executive of the National Rugby League, David Gallop, said: "This is a bitter day for rugby league, indeed the game has had its heart broken in an unexpected and tragic way."

The club's board admitted the breach after a Sydney newspaper revealed that it had set up an elaborate system to pay its best players additional sums on top of their official salaries. But even after the story broke, it tried to cover up the full extent of its sins by deleting paragraphs in documents handed to NRL investigators.

Yesterday the NRL passed sentence: the Bulldogs were stripped of 37 points, banishing them to the foot of the league. Gallop said: "We do not believe anyone in the game should accept the prospect of these officials who were involved being part of any finals success."

The club is now in the hands of its legendary former half-back, Steve Mortimer, who stepped in after the chief executive, Bob Hagan, resigned on Tuesday, the interim chief executive, Garry Hughes, following him 48 hours later.

Mortimer forced the entire board to stand down last night and will run the club with three other former players.

At the Bulldogs' ground in western Sydney, where the population lives and breathes rugby league, fans were devastated. "All that hard work, all that training, for nothing," said one supporter.

The players were still digesting the decision. Prop Willie Mason said: "They've picked on the players. We're the ones that are missing out and we didn't do anything, we didn't know anything about it."

Some players have already said they may contemplate taking a pay cut next year as the club has to cut its salary bill.

The Dogs will play their last three matches, if only out of pride. Security has been stepped up for tomorrow's away match against Canberra Raiders amid fears that fans, who have had a reputation for violence in the past, may let their emotions spill over.