Another chance: Blake Ferguson (centre) was all smiles during Canberra's photo shoot yesterday as Josh Dugan's exit was announced. Photo: Colleen Petch
The ARL Commission will await Canberra's report into the Josh Dugan saga before deciding whether to allow him to join a rival club.
The Raiders made the unanimous decision to sack Dugan at a marathon 2½-hour board meeting on Thursday, while ARLC chairman John Grant and chief executive David Smith were also present at the Raiders' headquarters. Fellow wild child Blake Ferguson was handed a $10,00 fine and has been stood down indefinitely.
The last player sacked by the Green Machine was Todd Carney, with the club successfully lobbying the NRL to deregister his contract. The pivot was sidelined for a year and forced into purgatory for the Atherton Roosters before joining the Sydney variety.
With Brisbane, St George Illawarra and Gold Coast rumoured to be interested in the sometime NSW fullback's services, the ARLC must again make a call on whether to allow a wayward star to join a rival outfit.
''You don't prejudge whether you would or wouldn't register someone,'' NRL spokesperson John Brady said.
''We would look at the circumstances and look at the full report from Canberra in relation to that. That goes into consideration of any future registration.''
Dugan paid the price for a string of misdemeanours, the latest being a drunken binge with Ferguson. The incident, on a Canberra rooftop, was photographed and aired on Instagram.
It is believed Dugan, who did not front the board, wanted to be sacked after falling out with coach David Furner.
Earlier in the week, he tweeted: ''I apologize to my team mates and the fans but this is personal and needs to be sorted out as soon as possible for me to move forward.''
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said the decision to terminate Dugan's contract came after several breaches. The club is unlikely to pay out the remainder of his contract money for the season.
''After being presented with a number of breaches in club policy by Josh, the board decided that they had no choice but to terminate his NRL contract,'' Furner said. ''The club must take into account our players, members and sponsors and the damage to our club's brand.
''Blake Ferguson will remain with the club, but will be stood down from playing until he has shown progress in a number of areas.''
Reece Robinson has been handed the No.1 jersey for this weekend's clash with the Titans.
Meanwhile, St George Illawarra centre Matt Cooper has extended an olive branch to Dugan, claiming the Dragons squad would welcome the sacked Raider.
''He's a quality player,'' Cooper said of Dugan. ''He's shown in the past how good of a player he is.''
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