0
Wallabies face early nights and dry camp
Greg Growden
Monday, August 13, 2007
A MEETING involving Wallabies team management, Australian Rugby Union officials and senior Test players tomorrow will determine whether booze bans and curfews will be imposed during the World Cup.
Following the meeting, Wallabies Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning will front ARU chief executive John O'Neill to explain why they were drinking until the early hours of Friday morning, which led to them being questioned by police investigating an assault on a Brisbane taxi driver. The players were cleared of any involvement.
At this meeting, O'Neill is expected to warn them that they are on their last chance, that their World Cup spots are under serious jeopardy and that they have to undergo alcohol counselling.
However, at an earlier meeting, a decision on whether the disciplinary action will extend to making the World Cup an alcohol-free tournament for every member of Australia's squad will be made.
The meeting is scheduled to involve O'Neill, Pat Howard - the ARU's new high-performance manager - Wallabies team manager Phil Thomson, head coach John Connolly and senior players Stirling Mortlock, Phil Waugh and George Gregan.
The group will be asked to make recommendations to O'Neill on what disciplinary protocols and measures the Wallabies should embrace during their time in France when striving to win the William Webb Ellis trophy for the third time. There are already strong suggestions that curfews and booze bans will be imposed.
The meeting is certain to emphasise the words Connolly wrote in a recent Sun-Herald column that "there needs to be some common sense shown by players on a night out. By observing the 'Cinderella hour' … players would significantly reduce their chances of being caught up in off-field troubles."
The ARU is mindful that several senior players are deeply angered that some "serial offenders" in the team keep smearing the Wallabies brand.
ARU officials are also well aware of a booze-binge culture that has developed among some members of the Wallabies squad.
The first sign there was a serious drinking problem among Australia's leading players emerged in March 2005, when the Herald revealed the results of a survey of 84 professional footballers - including 27 Wallabies - which were published in the 2004 Australian Rugby Union Players' Association annual report.
Just over half of those questioned thought between one and 10 players in their state squad had a serious problem with alcohol.
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/ar...857346092.html
Matt digs deeper hole
Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent
Monday, August 13, 2007
FURIOUS Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill yesterday attacked Wallabies prop Matt Dunning and Broncos league coach Wayne Bennett for comments following an assault on a Brisbane taxi driver.
High-ranking ARU officials were last night "astounded" and "disgusted" by comments made by Dunning in The Sun-Herald in which the front-rower said he had done nothing wrong during a late night out with teammate Lote Tuqiri. Dunning, who has been in numerous contentious off-field incidents, also vowed he would not change his behaviour.
Bennett, meanwhile, criticised the ARU for over-reacting and castigated the media for their reporting of the serious assault of the taxi driver outside the Sofitel hotel, where Wallabies players were staying after a five-day boot camp.
Dunning, Tuqiri and Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt and utility Ian Lacey were interviewed by police investigating the assault of the 52-year-old driver at 5.20am on Friday. Patana Elisaia, a 27-year-old Gold Coast man, who had been socialising with the players in Dunning's hotel room, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm. Tuqiri and Dunning had been at a Brisbane nightclub until 4.30am, and then the group, including the Broncos players and Elisaia, returned to Dunning's room, where a party continued until about 5.15am.
When Dunning contacted the ARU on Friday to explain he was about to be interviewed by police, he was downcast and highly self-critical. However, 24 hours later, he had made a complete about-face, telling The Sun-Herald: "It's just ridiculous, even now I don't know what I did wrong.
"What do they want to discipline me for? I'm flabbergasted - do I have to be Cinderella and be home by 12 o'clock? There is a poor bloke lying in hospital and could die - that's a bit more important than what's going on with me at the moment. I find it really perplexing …"
O'Neill yesterday admitted being in a state of disbelief when reading Dunning's comments. "Dunning just doesn't get it," he said. "We all share the concern expressed by Matt concerning the taxi driver. But I've got to say Matt is not the only one who is perplexed. I'm looking to having a chat with Matt, and maybe at that time he'll give some answers to the questions he has posed."
Bennett earned O'Neill's ire by saying: "The ARU always over-reacts, you've got to watch them. Anything involving ex-league players, they over-react even more."
O'Neill replied: "In all the years of off-field incidents involving NRL and AFL players, there was an unwritten convention that the other football codes did not comment on it. So when the NRL had the problems with the Bulldogs at Coffs Harbour, the deal was that the ARU did not comment.
"So Bennett, who has apparently broken his own self-imposed media ban, suddenly telling the ARU how it should run its business breaks that convention. It is completely inappropriate for any other sporting body or any individual involved with another football code to be telling the ARU how to conduct its business. Is Bennett now suggesting that the best course of action in such circumstances is to turn a blind eye?"
ARU officials are also seething at Wallabies coach John Connolly's comments, which included that Dunning and Tuqiri had "done nothing wrong". Despite reports that he has O'Neill's full support on the issue, the truth is otherwise.
O'Neill yesterday confirmed he had not spoken to Connolly for a week. Their previous conversation involved a disagreement over the appointment of Pat Howard as the new ARU high-performance manager.
One ARU source said that head office was "sick and tired" of Connolly repeatedly trying to divert the blame from himself whenever there were player problems, and instead attempting to use the media as a scapegoat.
O'Neill has been in close contact with Wallabies team manager Phil Thomson on the many issues that have been unsettling the Australian team. Thomson, who has admitted publicly that some Wallabies have alcohol problems and that Tuqiri and Dunning were "stupid" for hosting strangers and drinking in a hotel room until dawn, has O'Neill's full backing.
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/ar...857346089.html
Reply With Quote
CHEERLEADERS ROCK!!! 
Originally Posted by Coach
