Aug 1st, 2017

Aug 1st, 2017

Aaron Woods insists he's in his final weeks at Wests Tigers despite concerns NRL salary cap constraints may prevent him joining Canterbury.

The Bulldogs's efforts to be cap compliant for next year reportedly could result in recently signed players being unable to play.

The Tigers are monitoring the situation in the hope Woods will stay in 2018, Fairfax Media reports, despite the captain signing a four-year deal with Canterbury in late April.

Woods didn't buy into talk of extending his stay at the Tigers but said he was happy working under coach Ivan Cleary, who took over in April.

"I've got no idea what's happening," Woods told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday.

"All I know is I signed a contract with the Bulldogs and that's it, mate.

"I've enjoyed my time under Ivan but I signed a contract with the Bulldogs and just enjoying my last weeks with the Tigers."

But Penrith general manager and Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould says the Bulldogs may find themselves in a precarious position if they can't get under the salary cap by the start of the 2018 season.

Speaking on his vodcast, Six tackles with Gus, Gould believes Canterbury might be forced to drop their big name signings of Woods and Kieran Foran but not because those two players were the last two signed by the Bulldogs.

"It's never been cast in stone that it was a last in first out policy if in fact you were over the cap.

The difference here could be that because they're over the cap at the moment, they may not have registered the Kieran Foran or Aaron Woods contract until such time the Bulldogs are seen to be under the salary cap," said Gould.

Even if the Bulldogs end up keeping their prized new signings, they'll have to shed current players on their roster which would come at a cost to the club according to Gould.

"When the final cap figure comes down they'll have to release players and they're probably going to have to tip in money to get rid of them.

The clubs that are looking to release players to get back under the salary cap are not going to be able to release them at their full value, they're going to have to contribute to that which means these other clubs are going to pick up cheap buys."

Gould believes trying to keep Woods and Foran could have a dramatic impact on Canterbury and could see a host of players leave Belmore.

" So to get Aaron Woods and Kieran Foran under the cap and then contribute to the players that may have to leave to negotiate their way out, the Bulldogs may have to lose several players."

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