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The Canterbury Bulldogs<\/a> are set to receive salary cap relief after Jethro Rinakama<\/a> suffered a shoulder injury playing in the Pacific Championships for Fiji<\/a> over the weekend.<\/p>\n The injury will reportedly need a full shoulder reconstruction and see him sidelined for up to six months per News Corp.<\/p>\n Given it’s already mid-October, the injury will see Rinakama miss the opening weeks of the NRL<\/a> season.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs actually commence their campaign a week ahead of the rest of the competition, with the blue and white to clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons<\/a> in Las Vegas on the last day of February.<\/p>\n Estimates could then see Rinakama targeting a return to action by Round 6.<\/p>\n While he likley would have been outside of Canterbury’s best 17 to start 2026 with Marcelo Montoya<\/a> and Jacob Kiraz<\/a> the likely first-choice options, NRL<\/a> rules state clubs can gain salary cap relief for players injured during representative matches.<\/p>\n It’s unclear how the Bulldogs will use the relief at this stage, but it does need to be a like for like player. There are few wingers still available for 2026 at this late stage of the pre-season.<\/p>\n The Fijian representative will need to likely work his way back through reserve grade once fit, but will then look to add to a promising start to his NRL<\/a> career, having made his debut mid way through 2025.<\/p>\n