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Waratahs to review player curfew policy following death of Shaun Mackay
By David Beniuk
April 07, 2009
The New South Waratahs will review their off-field protocols before next month's Super 14 tour to South Africa in the wake of Shawn Mackay's death in Durban.
The Waratahs will embark on a three-match tour of the Republic, with their first game against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on May 1.
They will play matches in Durban and Johannesburg in the following two weeks.
Brumbies forward Mackay, 26, died in a Durban hospital on Monday of complications after he was hit by a security vehicle outside a nightclub after 4am on March 29.
"Any incident like that makes you sit down and have a good look," Waratahs coach Chris Hickey said.
"We've already got some protocols in place but we'll sit down and review them and sit down with the players.
"Everyone's responsible for their own actions and behaviour, but we'll review that.
"It obviously just sharpens your focus a little bit on those things."
The Waratahs do not currently impose a curfew on touring players, Hickey said.
"There's a lot of common sense that needs to be used and players know that on a tour like that you're there to achieve something and that requires some sort of discipline and a little bit of sacrifice," the coach said.
"I don't see a big issue in that regard from our players."
The Waratahs went behind closed doors on Tuesday for a team meeting following the news of former NSW player Mackay's death.
Several of the Waratahs players remained close to Mackay.
"It was a very open discussion ... it's just a matter of getting it out on the table and not letting those emotions bottle up and come out at a later date," NSW captain Phil Waugh said.
"Some players certainly were a lot closer to Shawn than others and it's about getting behind those guys and supporting them."
The meeting discussed a tribute to Mackay at Saturday's match against the Bulls at the Sydney Football Stadium, with details to be finalised later in the week.
Waugh and Hickey, who has worked previously with Brumbies coach Andy Friend, emerged offering the support of Mackay's home state to their Super 14 rivals.
Hickey was speaking from experience, revealing he had dealt with the death of a player in a house fire while coaching at a Canberra club during the late 1990s.
"It really was a very difficult situation to deal with," he said. "You don't forget it, that's for sure.
"That's why it was important we had the meeting today to get everyone together and to give everyone a chance to express their feelings ... even just in terms of moving on and getting our mind around preparing for this game on Saturday."
Hickey is hopeful his players will come to terms with the news, but said the reaction of the Brumbies in their game against the Stormers in Canberra on Saturday was difficult to predict.
"You don't know how people react. It probably goes one way or the other to be honest and you probably don't know until after the event which way it will affect them," he said.
"Obviously it's a very powerful experience and has the potential to draw people together, but it also deeply affects people so it's very hard to speculate on how it might affect them."
AAP
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html
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