NRL Canterbury Bulldogs suspend two players over ‘serious’ code of conduct breach

Canterbury Bulldogs players Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor have been stood down just ahead of the NRL season opener due to code of conduct breaches, the club has confirmed.

Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said two players brought “two young females” back to their hotel room during a pre-season trip to Port Macquarie, breaching the club’s and the NRL’s code of conduct.

The club said the NRL was investigating the matter and Harawira-Naera and Okunbor were the only two players involved.

“The club wishes to reiterate that while neither player is subject to a current police investigation, these are very concerning matters that the club has treated very seriously,” Hill said at the club’s training base in Belmore.

“There is an ongoing NRL disciplinary process and investigation … out of respect of the process … we cannot make further comment.”

Hill added the club would work to protect the identity of the women involved in the allegations.

“We have been very conscious through our review of these allegations … to do everything we could to protect the identity and the welfare of the girls involved,” he said.

New Zealand-born Harawira-Naera, 24, moved to the Bulldogs from Penrith last season, making 21 appearances and scoring five tries for the club.

The three-Test Kiwi second row led the league with 59 offloads in 2019 and featured for the Maori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars on the Gold Coast in February.

Okunbor, 23, made his NRL debut last season, scoring five tries in 10 senior appearances on the wing.

Both players had been named in the Bulldogs side set to open the NRL season in a match against the Eels at Paramatta Stadium on Thursday night, but they have since been withdrawn.

“It’s difficult, obviously there’s challenges to it,” Bulldogs coach Dean Pay said.