Jackson Topine will pursue Canterbury for almost $4 million in damages after claiming he suffered "psychiatric injury" when made to wrestle teammates after being late for training at the NRL club.
The Bulldogs were on Wednesday left defending their handling of player welfare, after being served papers regarding Topine's career on Tuesday.
In a statement of claims lodged with the NSW Supreme Court and seen by AAP, Topine's legal team will claim the 22-year-old was made to individually wrestle up to 35 teammates one-on-one last year following a 90-minute session.
The forward will claim he was directed to do so by trainer Travis Touma, as a result of being eight to 10 minutes late for the session.
In the statement of claims, Topine's legal team say the punishment was "unlawful" and a breach of procedural fairness, amounting to corporal punishment.
Topine will also claim he suffered "psychiatric injury, deprivation of liberty, humiliation, indignity, physical exhaustion, physical discomfort, anxiety, embarrassment and fear" as a result of the session.
The local Bulldogs junior has not added to his 16 NRL games since the incident, and the document claims he has "suffered ongoing incapacity to play the game".
The statement of claims also says the Bulldogs have stopped paying his wages since last November, and that the fallout has impacted his ability to play elsewhere beyond this year.
The case is expected to kick off in the NSW Supreme Court in June, with Topine pursuing up to $4 million in damages based on the average wage of players across a career span.
Canterbury would not speak specifically to the case on Wednesday, after coach Cameron Ciraldo and general manager Phil Gould defended the club's training approach last year.
But in a statement, the Bulldogs have made clear they will deny some of the claims, while defending their handling of player welfare and mental health.
"The club does however have internal policies and procedures in place for employee conduct and a very sound review process that we stand by," a Bulldogs spokeswoman said in a statement to AAP.
"We also take player welfare very seriously and place the best interests and welfare of our players and staff as our number one priority.
"As we do take mental health concerns very seriously and given the appropriate sensitivities that should be applied in matters concerning mental health, the club will not be making any comment at this time on any of the individuals at the centre of the allegations."
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson on Wednesday defended the character of Touma, who worked with him at the Tri-colours between 2013 and 2021.
"Travis is a very experienced trainer and a really outstanding person," Robinson said.
"His care factor is as high as I've seen in any staff member at any club I've been involved with.
"I can't speak to the incident, but I know who Travis is and the quality of the person he is and the care that he has for his players."
He also indicated he did not believe it was hard to find a balance between pushing players while also looking after their wellbeing.
"You have to push players to be at their best and you've got to care for them at the same time," Robinson said.
"You don't always get it right, but if you care for your program and the players that you have in that program, then for the most part you'll get it right."