The NRL remains defiant, despite the Bulldogs salary cap mismanagement, that its constituent clubs must be responsible for their own projections of payments to players.

Rugby League Central believes it is not incumbent on its management to red flag clubs when registering long-term contracts that will inevitably cause a club to exceed the salary cap.

Code hopper: NRL officials are unhappy that Raelene Castle escaped scrutiny over the Bulldogs salary cap mess. Credit:AAP

The Bulldogs, encouraged by voracious agents to sign high-profile players to big-money deals, are effectively shut out of the player market for the next couple of seasons.

Basically, the NRL’s view is that it cannot be responsible for 16 clubs. Some manage the cap, some don’t.