How Canterbury's decision to sack Josh Addo-Carr could leave the Broncos snookered

The impending decision from the Bulldogs regarding star winger Josh Addo-Carr could back one of their rival clubs into a deep corner.

Addo-Carr looks set to be sacked by Canterbury following an off-field incident, which saw him charged by police after failing a roadside drug test.

The 29-year-old has been issued a show cause notice and will front the club's board this week, but all signs point towards 'The Foxx' leaving Belmore.

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"He's got to front the board ... it doesn't look too good for Josh," league great Aaron Woods said on Triple M last week.

"There's been other players that have had a show cause notice, and they do get told to move on, but they do get a little bit of a payout.

"He's done a lot of things for that club. He was their first big name player to come [and] that brought other players with him when they were trying to sign players.

"It's a tough one. I don't know how this situation is going to play out, but I just hope it can play out soon, so both parties can move on."

The decision from the Bulldogs to tear up the contract of a rep-level player is proof of the changing culture at the club under Phil Gould.

But will that same type of decision-making be applied at the Broncos when it comes to their own off-season scandal involving Ezra Mam?

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The playmaker is facing serious charges after testing positive to a roadside drug test - but his crime is potentially far worse than Addo-Carr and could even result in jail time.

Mam was involved in a car crash that left a young girl injured and it has been alleged the five-eighth was driving without a licence.

At this stage, Brisbane have not made it clear what Mam's future looks like, but at the bare minimum he will facing a hefty fine and lengthy stint on the sidelines.

Michael Maguire is known for his no-nonsense approach and has already been forced to face the music in his first week in charge at Red Hill.

While he won't be the person making the final decision, Maguire will undoubtedly want to set an example and prove to the club's fans that poor off-field behaviour won't be tolerated under his watch - especially given the precedent the Bulldogs will soon set.

Why the Broncos may try to avoid the axe

Apart from the actual nature of the allegations, there's one significant factor that separates the Addo-Carr case from the Mam case.

Having recently signed Mam to a lucrative long-term contract, the Broncos have made it clear that they see the five-eighth as a significant part of their future in a bid to break a premiership drought that is nearing two decades.

Mam is signed until the end of 2029 on big money.

In the case of Addo-Carr and the Bulldogs, however, there has been noises throughout the season suggesting that cracks were developing in the relationship.

The speedster was set to come off-contract at the end of next year and was unlikely to remain at Belmore long-term as the club's stocks continue to rise.

The two different player/club relationships are important to the context of the two cases. A cynic might suggest that the sacking of Addo-Carr is a convenient way for the Bulldogs to prematurely end a relationship they were growing tired of and reallocate the salary cap money elsewhere. The Broncos on the other hand have no reason, from a roster point-of-view, to take such an extreme measure with Mam.

But on the surface, it would be a horrible look if Brisbane were to allow Mam back into the fold while Addo-Carr is dumped by his club for a lesser offence and that could tie into the NRL's handling of the Mam case.

Why the NRL may take decision away from Broncos

While all eyes are on the Broncos and what decision they make in regards to Mam, there's also a strong chance the NRL will take it out of their hands.

According to lawyer Tom Taylor, who spoke to Nine's Today last week, Mam could be looking at a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment if found guilty.

Even if he avoids such a harsh penalty, there has been a precedent set by the NRL when it comes to deregistering players.

Less than 12 months ago, Dragons young gun Junior Amone had his deal torn up after narrowly avoiding jail time and being hit with a two-year intensive corrections order following an assault in Wollongong.

Amone's future is still hanging in the balance and the NRL has not green-lit a return.

Should the Broncos star be found guilty of the allegations he's facing, it's hard to fathom how the NRL would not hand down a similar sanction.