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Players must know hazards - Gregan
Rupert Guinness
Thursday, July 5, 2007
WALLABIES halfback George Gregan has called on footballers to ensure they are fully educated on the pitfalls of alcohol and substance abuse before being left to learn the hard way - through their own reckless behaviour.
His message comes after Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri was suspended for two matches and fined $20,000 by the Australian Rugby Union for missing a medical appointment and recovery session and failing a breath test.
Gregan, who will play his last home Test for the Wallabies against the Springboks at Telstra Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, admitted he had been shocked by the recent headlines generated by incidents involving footballers.
Gregan pointed to Collingwood forward Alan Didak and his night out with accused killer Christopher Hudson and West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins, who resumed training this week after undergoing three months of rehabilitation for drug use.
"Gosh, you see what's happened in the news lately," said Gregan, who will play his 133rd Test on Saturday. "[There is] what's happened with Lote, which is disappointing. We were in Melbourne last week [and there was the incident] with Didak. That's big news. There are recreational drugs [issues] as well with Ben Cousins.
"There are a whole range of things. And it's really important, especially for players coming into the environment, that they embrace and are aware of [them] because it's a new sort of landscape."
Gregan believes part of the problem is that rookie professionals are often plucked from school ranks and thrust alongside adults more experienced in finding the balance between maintaining a social life and being disciplined.
However, as the Tuqiri, Didak and Cousins cases have shown recently, adults are not always the best examples. Asked whether it was harder for rookies to handle the demands of public accountability today or for senior players who may have experienced an era when there was more latitude to what is considered correct behaviour, Gregan said: "The younger guys. You would hope senior, more experienced [players] understand it has changed, and are prepared to hold with it and be responsible and [realise] their actions are seen by the younger guys.
"A lot of guys are identified just out of school. They get head-hunted straight away and have to learn these skills. Hopefully, they don't learn by their mistakes … [but] through good education and being around good people."
Gregan, who admitted, "I enjoy a wine, I enjoy a beer", believes all players have to realise that their actions will be scrutinised whenever they are in a social situation and in public view - no matter if that is fair or not.
"It's really hard. If you do slip up, you slip up in a big way and it impacts in a massive way - on you, on your family and particularly in an environment [such] as the Wallabies," he said.
Tuqiri's case highlights what is at stake, said Gregan, adding he believed the incident would affect the player more than it will the Wallabies collectively as they pursued their Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations campaign without him.
"I think it will affect him [more]," Gregan said. "The team it will affect in the sense that you lose a class player. It probably reinforces the environment which I spoke about: [where] you can't put yourself in that position.
"There is a lesson to learn.It's a big price to pay, not just in money terms but continuing on the good from what we did last week [beating the All Blacks]. He would have loved to have been part of the team and a chance to win the Bledisloe in Auckland. They are opportunities you don't get a lot of in a career. It is a shame to have missed out … through an off-field incident."
Meanwhile, Gregan yesterday reiterated his belief - first reported in the Herald in April - that former league star Andrew Johns would be a great asset to the Wallabies coaching staff ahead of the World Cup. Johns has mainly coached on kicking skills in the three sessions he has spent with the Wallabies this season, but Gregan believes his mere presence has boosted the side.
"He has instant respect as soon as he walks in the room," Gregan said. "What he has imparted on the guys in basically two or three sessions now is incredible. It has been a bit of coup."
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