Canterbury winger Josh Addo-Carr has returned a second positive result to a drugs test last week. NSW Police have issued

Canterbury winger Josh Addo-Carr has returned a second positive result to a drugs test last week. NSW Police have issued Addo-Carr’s lawyers with an infringement notice for driving with an illicit drug present in oral fluid, a week after he was pulled over on the evening of 6 September.

Addo-Carr passed the random breath test undertaken roadside in the Sydney suburb of Wentworth Point but failed a subsequent drug wipe. An oral fluid sample was sent for further testing, the results of which came back positive on Friday.

The 29-year-old had already stood himself down from Sunday’s elimination final against Manly – the Bulldogs’ first playoff appearance since 2016 – with no date set for his return.

Related: Josh Addo-Carr stands himself down from Bulldogs’ NRL final over drugs test

“The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have been advised that NRL squad member Josh Addo-Carr has returned a positive result on the second sample taken on Friday night (September 6) at a NSW Police random roadside illicit drug test,” a club statement read.

NSW Police said the secondary analysis returned a positive reading for cocaine.

Addo-Carr, who left Bulldogs’ training early on Friday, has maintained he has not taken any illicit drugs.

The Bulldogs’ winger is not subject to the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy, which precludes players from taking the field when charged with criminal offences that carry long-term prison sentences.

“The club is offering Josh appropriate support during this difficult period,” the club statement read. “The Bulldogs are committed to following the appropriate protocols with regards to the player’s contract and CBA and will work with the NRL integrity unit, the player and his management team accordingly throughout further investigations.

“While we treat this issue with utmost seriousness, Josh’s welfare is our highest priority at this time.”

New Zealand women’s head coach Jitka Klimkova has quit, the national football body said Friday, having skipped the Paris Olympics after an undisclosed “employment-related matter”.

The 50-year-old former Czech Republic international took a leave of absence four weeks before the Games in the wake of an independent investigation which cleared her of any wrongdoing.

Under her assistant Michael Mayne, New Zealand lost all three of their games at the Olympics.

“This experience was a challenge and made me stronger,” Klimkova, who had been in charge since 2021 and was contracted until 2027, said in a statement.

“I believe now is the right time to step away and let another coach carry on.”

Klimkova will remain working for New Zealand Football for the next six months, supporting the high-performance department and national team.

Mayne will continue as interim head coach.

Klimkova was the first woman to coach the New Zealand women’s team on a full-time basis.

The highlight of her stewardship was when the co-hosts earned their first-ever win at a Women’s World Cup by stunning former champions Norway in 2023, but they bowed out in the group stages.

The Football Ferns won 11 of 39 games under Klimkova, with 21 defeats and seven draws.

“She will forever be remembered as the coach who led us to our first ever Women’s World Cup win, a historic, game-changing moment for football in New Zealand,” said chief executive Andrew Pragnell.

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