Oconnor in trouble again?

[sittingbison]

Now you all know I'm not one for hyperbole or overreaction but here is something to be aware of before Judas is crucified :

“It is alleged the man was intoxicated. The airline the man was booked to travel with made a decision not to allow him to board the aircraft. The AFP subsequently escorted the man from the terminal."

I have bolded the pertinent word.

It could be he was surly and aggressive towards the seating allocator, who called the Feds alledging he was drunk. They have no option but to escort him back through customs (its a one way parade). Lets not forget shortly after he was allowed back through customs, boarded a flight and departed. I'm not sure the Feds would allow that if they determined the original allegation of intoxication was upheld.

However the particulars have nothing to do with Force signing him. The problem is it happened at all.

[Alison]

Tweet from the Force:


"The club is aware of recent reporting regarding James O'Connor and is awaiting the outcome of an investigation being conducted by the ARU"

[The InnFORCEr]

Growdens most readable piece... ever.......

I'll second that

[Invictus]

To all those saying give him another chance at the Force but with a very strict "one strike and your out" contract, my worry is this:

what if Foley builds the team around him (and his undoubted talent) pre-season, the team plays really well for the first few games of the season, he's playing the best rugby of his life and is the Force's 'best on field' every week, the entire team is playing the best rugby of the franchise's life because their tails are up and the confidence is sky high, we're within reach of a finals berth then suddenly JOC stuffs up and he's shown the door, the game plan has to be changed, the team falters because the JOC replacement is not as skilled at playing rugby as JOC is, and we end the season with a few crushing defeats.

How can Foley possibly risk building a team around (and fork out such a huge chunk of the Force's tight budget) on a guy who is so up himself that even senior Wallabies can't knock any sense into him and who has such a long list of priors that he needs a contract that is so tight he could be out on his backside at any moment?

And how would Foley plan for the inevitability of a JOC stuff up? Have an understudy in place ready to take up the reins when the inevitable happens? Who would want to be that guy? Yes I know the same would apply if JOC was injured, but to have to have a plan B in place for when he breaks team rules is plain ridiculous in my book.

And what kind of a business decision would all this be? If Mark Sinderberry is half the buisnessman he's reputed to be, would he really want to take that degree of risk at the point where he's trying to turn around the shipwreck Reid and Graham left him with?

Guess this is a question for me to raise at next week's members' forum.

Expect victory, plan for defeat (ie always have a fall back plan or two up your sleeve).

[GAFFA]

Tweet from the Force:


"The club is aware of recent reporting regarding James O'Connor and is awaiting the outcome of an investigation being conducted by the ARU"

funny they even commented on the issue must mean they are close to or have already signed him.

[GIGS20]

To all those saying give him another chance at the Force but with a very strict "one strike and your out" contract, my worry is this:.... Guess this is a question for me to raise at next week's members' forum.

I guess these are all questions for Michael Foley to answer in the decision of whether to sign or not. "Can I get him to pull his head out of his arse?" "Can I cover him if it all turns to shit?" "Is his talent enough to justify the risk?" I'm sure he's a capable decision maker, certainly not afraid to drop a great performer (as shown by Mafi) and will make a decision based upon those answers. Like I said before, it's as much about supporting the Force decision makers as it is about JOC

[.X.]

my turn.

Was the Wascally Wabbit on duty for the Force, Wallabies, Rebels Or West Harbour at the time of the Alleged Intoxication?

Was the Wascally Wabbit wearing attire belonging to the Force, Wallabies, Rebels OR West Harbor?

Was the Wascally Wabbit expected to arrive for a team meeting or recovery session for the Force, Wallabies, Rebels or West Harbor early the next morning or is he on LEAVE?

The Wascally Wabbit is 23 and he drinks and smokes. At 23 I drank and Smoke. Now at 43 I still drink ( I quit smoking). Who doesn't throw a couple of drinks down their head before they jump on an airplane???

If that Dastardly Wascally Wabbit was "on duty" when he was Allegedly Drunk and was lets say on his way to South Africa for the next Test Match. Then Yes - Hang him, burn him and call him a witch.

But if he is off duty - he should be able to have a drink and a smoke.

Yes I still want him back at the Force - I believe that the Force need his play making and game breaking abilities.

[Alison]

funny they even commented on the issue must mean they are close to or have already signed him.

I reckon so too!

[Alison]

I agree Invictus, but a back-up plan for douchebaggery seems a wee bit too crazy to me! Even if JOC IS the "X factor player" that we just can't afford not to sign!

[SNOB]

SB makes a very valid point.
How much do you believe that we normally see tossed out by these so called reporters?

[jono]

loads.

the point was made before, if they thought he was drunk, he wouldnt have been let on ANY flight.
he most likely had to go to the sales desk to re-book another flight.
he was understandably pissed off about his flight (maybe they were overbooked. it happened to me last week & three times last year), and vented his frustration at the gate staff (that's the bit that shits me. it's not their fault).
gate staff dont take much shit. they call the AFP pretty fast. who would have taken him outside to re-book, to diffuse the situation.

massive media beat up. and they are doing a fucking fantastic job of chasing one of the brightest wallabies we have out of the country and the wallabies.

instead of calling for o'connor's head. i vote we call for the heads of stupid journos

[The InnFORCEr]

If he cleaned up his act they would have NOTHING to write about, it is ALL his fault, not the media, not the journos, not even the cabin crew, Rabbit and Rabbit only IMHO

[jono]

If he cleaned up his act they would have NOTHING to write about, it is ALL his fault, not the media, not the journos, not even the cabin crew, Rabbit and Rabbit only IMHO

look i completely agree. but this one in particular is a load of crap.

if this was say 18 months ago i reckon a few more people would agree with me.
when i read the article this morning i thought "not again you dickhead" but i can see why he would have been frustrated, anyone would have been. i was last week because i had to spend another 2 hours in Mackay - and i was getting paid

booked his holiday, and when he got to the airport he was told he wasn't going. Did everyone expect him to smile?

[The InnFORCEr]

Wallaby O'Connor's nervous wait

By Justin Chadwick,
AAP
Updated September 19, 2013, 12:35 pm

Controversy-prone Wallabies winger James O'Connor faces an uneasy wait on two fronts as he tries to relax in Bali.

Because of his incident at Perth airport, when he was barred from taking an international flight, he risks being suspended from the Wallabies' two-Test tour to South Africa and Argentina which departs on Monday.

And he must also wait to learn whether the matter has spooked the Western Force - the only Australian Super Rugby franchise interested in signing him for next season - after he was hopeful of clinching a deal as early as this week.

O'Connor is under investigation by the Australian Rugby Union after being removed from Perth airport early on Sunday morning and barred from taking a flight to Bali because he was allegedly intoxicated.

The incident comes at the worst possible time for O'Connor, whose rugby future is up in the air after the Melbourne Rebels declined to offer him a new contract in July.

The Force will wait until the ARU completes its investigation before deciding whether to continue negotiations with O'Connor, who has a history of off-field problems.

But they will be reluctant to compromise the strong player culture they've set up under coach Michael Foley.

If the 23-year-old is unable to secure a deal with the Force, he may continue his rugby career in Europe, or make a switch to the NRL.

Those options would make him ineligible to play for the Wallabies.

Just last week, O'Connor spoke of his passion for the Wallabies, and his hunger to play a key role in helping them reach their potential under new coach Ewen McKenzie who had declared he started with a clean slate.

"I'm very happy in rugby at the moment. Very much enjoying my time here," O'Connor said before last week's 14-13 win over Argentina in Perth.

"I've got a lot I want to achieve in this game with this group. I don't think we've reached anywhere near our peak."

O'Connor has reportedly denied being drunk during the airport incident, but did admit to engaging in a heated argument over the seating arrangements for him and his girlfriend.

ARU integrity officer Phil Thomson is investigating the claims and a decision is expected before the Wallabies fly out to Cape Town on Monday morning.

O'Connor, who was removed from the terminal by Australian Federal Police officers but ended up boarding a later flight to Bali, is expected to return to Australia later this week.

Although the latest incident in itself is relatively minor, it continues a worrying trend.

In 2010, O'Connor was allegedly involved in an altercation with teammates Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale in Paris.

A year later, he was handed a one-Test suspension after missing the Wallabies' World Cup squad announcement and photo following a night out.

In June, O'Connor and Beale were photographed at 4am at a fast-food outlet just days out from the second Test against the British and Irish Lions.

The off-field shenanigans of Beale, O'Connor and Quade Cooper contributed to the downfall of former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

McKenzie is well aware of that, and he's already placed a strong emphasis on team culture.

The former Queensland Reds boss is not afraid of making tough decisions, as evidenced by last week's shock relegation of star halfback and Reds favourite Will Genia to the bench.

It won't be a relaxed few days in Bali for O'Connor.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...drunk-wallaby/

[The InnFORCEr]

I'll bet the dispute was about him not being able to sit next to his girlfriend on that first flight.