Josh Addo-Carr‘s future at Canterbury is under a fresh cloud after the Bulldogs moved to sign fellow winger Marcelo Montoya from the Warriors on a two-year deal. Addo-Carr is yet to meet with Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould and club powerbrokers to discuss his NRL playing future, having tested positive to cocaine after being pulled over by police while driving last month.

The 29-year-old was handed a fine and four-game ban, and stood down from Canterbury’s elimination final against Manly that they lost in heartbreaking fashion. Addo-Carr has consistently maintained his innocence despite two seperate tests coming back positive for cocaine in his system. And Gould has revealed he’s yet to speak with the former representative winger about his playing future.

League journalist Michael Carayannis explained this week that Addo-Carr was focused on the birth of his second child with partner Lakaree Smith and had put off talks with the Bulldogs until after that momentous occasion, which goes some way to explaining the hold up. But the fact the Bulldogs have made a move for Warriors winger Montoya suggests the club could be planning for life without Addo-Carr next season.

Addo-Carr remains contracted for 2025 but Gould previously suggested there would be consequences if his secondary drug test confirmed the initial positive reading, which it ultimately did. Montoya is Canterbury’s first new recruit since the Addo-Carr drama unfolded and helps bolster a Dogs backline that has lost boom winger Jeral Skelton to the Wests Tigers.

The Warriors agreed to release Montoya from the final year of his contract to pave the way for his return to the Bulldogs, who handed the speedster his NRL debut in 2017. “It’s always pleasing to bring a local junior back home,” said Gould. “Marcelo is very passionate in the way he conducts himself both on and off the field. His versatility in the backline and his experience will certainly complement our squad as he enters this next chapter of his career at the Bulldogs.”

Montoya played an important role in the Warriors’ run to the 2023 preliminary finals and has played 136 first grade games, with 54 of those coming for the Bulldogs. He’s set to join up with his new teammates when the Bulldogs’ pre-season gets underway in November, although it remains to be seen what Addo-Carr’s future at the club looks like.

Canterbury bosses are yet to decide what action they will take against the try-scoring machine, but there remains every chance Addo-Carr has played his last game for the club. It comes despite claims from the winger that he never took illicit drugs and doesn’t know how the cocaine that was detected at a roadside test got into his system.

Phil Gould to speak with Josh Addo-Carr about future

Gould said last month that it was up to Addo-Carr to decide whether he wanted to remain at the Bulldogs, suggesting there was still a chance he would be at Canterbury in 2025. The Dragons reportedly offered a swap deal for fellow winger Makaile Ravalawa but it has yet to come to fruition. “I spoke to his manager the other day, and all I’ve asked the manager and Josh to do is to consider their own future, what they think is best, (and) for him to sit down quietly with his family and have a think about what’s happened,” Gould said last month.

“I like Josh. He’s been very good for our club, he’s certainly been an asset to us. It’s unfortunate that he keeps letting himself down in this regard at different times. I want him to consider what’s best for his future and then come back and have a talk to me… Josh is getting to that stage of his career – he needs to make a decision on where he wants to play, and what the future looks like.”