The NRL today finalised the Breach Notice against the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs for comments about match officials following their match against the Brisbane Broncos.

The club will be fined $15,000 with a further $10,000 suspended for comments made by coach Dean Pay.

The suspended portion of the fine will be imposed if there is a repeat of the criticism against match officials.

The NRL suspended part of the penalty based on the fact that Pay is in his first season as a head coach in the NRL and has no prior breaches. He has also acknowledged publicly that he needs to moderate his language when commenting about match officials.

A spokesman for the NRL said there had been a significant increase in club funding this year and the higher level of fines was aimed at ensuring there is an adequate deterrent against criticism of match officials.