NRL fines Dragons over Volkman contract saga

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NRL fines Dragons over Volkman contract saga

The NRL have hit St George Illawarra with a $40,000 suspended fine for their handling of the Ronald Volkman saga.

Released by the Warriors last December to head to the Dragons, the club initially announced his signing before a deal was registered and a medical was complete.

Volkman then took the training field to complete a medical, before staff noted a serious shoulder injury that would rule him out for the season.

The half was then cut free given his contract had not technically been complete, prompting the anger of the players’ union.

Investigations have continued throughout this year, including around the Warriors’ exit medical report that noted no serious injuries and the Dragons’ decision to place him on the park.

The Dragons were eventually issued a breach notice and suspended fine hanging over their head for the next two years on Tuesday.

They have indicated they will not contest the issue.

“In navigating this complex situation, the club worked closely with all parties involved to reach a resolution and is committed to ensuring compliance moving forward,” the Dragons said in a statement.

St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan has previously admitted that Volkman should not have entered the training field before his medical was complete and contract registered.

“Maybe some of the on-field testing that we did with him, maybe we should have done that behind closed doors,” Flanagan admitted in January.

“The facts are he hurt himself when he was at the Warriors and he needs surgery.

“I don’t want to get into pointing fingers at clubs. In my 20 years of doing this job I’ve never had a player fail a medical. So it’s a strange one.

“It was Christmas. He was leaving the Warriors. The Warriors announced that he was leaving, not us.

“There’s a lot of things that could be done better.”

Volkman has also since had his surgery paid for by the Warriors, and has been linked to a deal at Manly next year.

AAP has been told the matter is now considered closed, with the Dragons the only party to be sanctioned over the matter.

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