You make your bed, you lie in it. If the cocaine drama that has enveloped the Gold Coast Titans costs Greg Bird, Dave Taylor or any of the other charged players their NRL careers, so be it.
I’m not going to waste mine or anyone else’s time moralising about it. What’s the point? We’re all big boys and girls. Everyone knows that if you get involved in drugs there is going to be an element of risk involved.
The risk may be greater for some than others in terms of the threat to your livelihood, but I imagine that would be fairly obvious in most cases. It certainly is in the case of rugby league.
NRL boss Dave Smith said on the weekend there would be “consequences” for any players who “wreck our image and brand”.
Recent history includes several examples of the league whacking players who have seriously transgressed in other areas, not related to drugs.
If a player was to be found guilty of a drug supply charge, then apart from whatever happened to him in court he would certainly face a huge penalty from the league.
There would also appear to be the possibility of further penalty under the WADA anti-doping code.
It will all work itself out, but in the meantime the Gold Coast club must be heaving like the S.S. Minnow in heavy seas on the way to being dumped on Gilligan’s Island.
The Titans finished 14th last season. The club is desperately trying to pull itself out of the competitive mire by signing one of the game’s biggest stars in Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans. This latest drama could obviously prove fatal to that.
The club is hoping Cherry-Evans will see past the current events to the promise of a brighter future there. It’s a lot to hope for – after all, it’s not as if he doesn’t have other options.
Gold Coast still hasn’t acquired a major sponsor. It had big trouble drawing crowds last season. The club replaced John Cartwright with Neil Henry as coach, but now we wait to find out just how weak a squad he may be left to work with this season.
Titans players Beau Falloon and Jamie Dowling, along with Queensland Reds rugby union player and former AFL and league player Karmichael Hunt, are scheduled to face court on March 5.
Bird, Taylor, fellow Gold Coast player Kalifa Faifai Loa and ex-Titan Joe Vickery are due in court on March 9.
The premiership kicks off on March 5, with the Titans playing their first match at home against Wests Tigers on March 7.
The NRL will no doubt be thrilled with the timing.
The Gold Coast management intends having the charged players front the club’s board to show why they shouldn’t have action taken against them under the terms of their playing contracts for bringing the club into disrepute.
But it may have to wait until after those initial court appearances so it can learn more specifics about what the players are alleged to have done.
In the meantime, the players have been stood down by the club.
The NRL has made it clear that it backs the Titans remaining in the competition and on the Gold Coast. Titans chief executive Graham Annesley won’t walk away from the mess.
Annesley is a good man. He was calm and sure in a crisis as second in command to David Gallop at the NRL, but it’s going to be the challenge of a lifetime for him to sort this mess out and find a real way forward for the club.
It is one of the great debates, whether the Gold Coast is the right place for a club – in any professional sport.
If the latest version of a league club on the Gold Coast, now in its ninth year, was to eventually fold for whatever reason, surely no-one in that sport would bother trying again.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
there's no denying there is a lot of money is in the NRL now. Super League saw to that. Mal Meninga once stated that he gained nothing from RL. The majority of former NSWRL & QRL players are not set for life - Ray Price is a classic example of that. Making players work P/T sounds great, but what happens if they get injured at work? In an era of sports insurance, it simply can't happen. What the NRL needs to do is similar to the NBA etc - get players qualified! - either P/T at university or in a trade. that way they are busy during their "time-off" and they are then set up for when their careers end.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
What losses would the NRL be cutting by moving the brand to Brisbane? The Titans were created on the financial backing of individual shareholders. You highlighted one critical issue. Titans get not enough TV support. The NRL's insistence on showing the Bronco's on FTA every Friday night demonstrates it is not interested in promoting the game. All teams need a fair share of the FTA pie. What incentive do corporates have to place their brand on the front of a jersey if the team don't get promoted equitably by the NRL on FTA?
Realist1975
Guest
Thanks Allanthus.
70s Mo
Guest
I'm glad you told me know Epiquin. I was going to come around on Sunday and bring the entire Nickleback collection. What should I bring? Poison? Def Leppard perhaps..
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
I think it tells me that you live in the past wearing rose tinted spectacles old-timer. Lest we forget the tragic death of Ben Alexander (drunk driving) and the prison sentence for Brad Izzard for causing the death of a passenger when drink driving. But yeah, they won some footy matches.
spruce moose
Guest
Have it your way. Try to engage in a debate, but you ignore what is written. A mature fool that would be.
turbodewd
Guest
There's a thing called 'the court of public opinion' which is far less forgiving. So you can trumpet that line, but if the crowds on opening day are bad then whatchya gonna do eh? These players, in light of the ASADA thing, would have to be fools to dabble in drugs.
Epiquin
Guest
We also have acts of parliament that prevent us from saying certain things. For example, the Racial Discrimination Act. But, as I said, even if freedom of speech was a constitutional right, it doesn't stop me throwing you out of my house for saying you like Nickelback. It also doesn't stop a sports forum from preventing people discussing topics it wants to avoid.
Russell Johnson
Guest
Bomb 78 I went away and read through the Oz constitution interesting if turgid document and I also read around it and it "seems" the Bill of Rights" is a recognised part of the history of the Australian Constitution and therefore certain understandings ( very much in the British mould) are in place and as in that same mould a lot is left unspoken and unwritten but understood to be the case! A very good way to keep secrets and change the rules and a recipe for bad Govt, and bad behaviour just like the UK. After reading that it's a good job you've got RL to take your mind off it and the putative shenanigans of certain people involved in RL to keep you distracted By the way the Titans are now one of my favourite clubs and I'm really hoping they defy the critics and all logic and do well!
Doug Graves
Guest
Just get rid of the Titans they are a shambles and almost always have been. How a professional team can not have a sponsor is beyond me, maybe they could get some Lawyers to sponsor them! Anyway I think the NRL should bring in a second Brisbane team ASAP, oh and boot the sharks as well.
flapper
Guest
From what I understand, the cops were after a major drug distribution ring, with retired players involved. The active players were what you might call collateral damage.
Chinupwombat
Guest
Saturday night against Tigers, they will get 15000. Also disagree it will be a long road back. This year will be hard, but they have also freed up some cash by the looks. Up Cherry-Evans offer, go after Merrin all of a sudden they look a premiership side. People are forgiving and Coast love winners. Might be a hard 2015 but they make some good buys and start 2016 off well and all a sudden watch how many people jump on board. Before you shoot me down, I live on the Coast and I am a member, albeit I support another side. Forgive me if I am wrong, but despite finishing 14th there average crowds were higher then some of the Sydney clubs weren't they? Additional to that, they have a heap of kids following them up here. This is not reflected in member numbers etc parents still support sides they always have. You go to junior league clubs though on the Goldy and Northern NSW and ask the kids who they support. You will be surprised how many Titans fans there are. Finally with the off field issues aside, NRL need to accept a lot of blame for support not being where people think it should be. Auskick go into schools, run their program straight after class and get good numbers. Brisbane Roar do a similar things. This is straight after school. Kids don't go home first, suits everyone. Where is League with a similar program, where is the NRL.it is ridiculous!!!!
Mister Football
Roar Guru
They are allowed their day in court, and no one should be jumping to conclusions until the players in question have been found guilty of an offence.
TheSmak
Guest
You're right, it is their hour of need; their hour of need to give something back to the fans! They've sucked so hard for so long it'll be very interesting to see crowd numbers for their upcoming match with the Tigers.
Ed J
Guest
The Gold Coast may be in for a hard time, but this is the predictable outcome of telling young men that they can do no wrong. It is fine for Dave Smith to say that the brand needs to be protected, but what about the young guys who are told how good they are from the first time they side step a lesser talented individual. There are too many leaches in sport these days, coat tugging has become a career, but they are called agents, and wide eyed kids with stupid greedy parents become transfixed by the promise that they can have anything they want, and there are no repercussions for their actions. Perhaps the NRL should spend real time telling these guys they are good at football, but footy is a small part of the world, and your actions define who you are, not the reactions of others to you. A career does not define you, the person you are does. How one treats his fellow man, how somebody thinks of themselves in relation to others makes the man, not having a particular talent, and then saying that talent makes you better than others. This is the result of hubris, and sadly these boys have been made to feel they are untouchable, and that is just not the way the world works.
Bluebag
Guest
He had a pretty good (and incident free) year at Newtown last season and is now captain-coach of a bush team.
Sam
Guest
Bring back the NS Bears. 3 strikes and your out Gold Coast. The area for some reason can't sustain any sporting franchise. The commonwealth games are going to be an absolute dud. Wish Campbell Newman had offloads them to Sri Lanka
Alex L
Roar Rookie
You do understand the High Court has ruled that we have an implied right to freedom of speech, yes?
M.O.C.
Roar Guru
Very complicated life lesson here kids...ready? Now concentrate... If you don't break the law, you can't get caught!!! Amazing advice, works in all aspects of life, even if you are a footballer with a double-digit IQ.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Dave Smith may well prove to be, but Gallop did a lot of good for the NRL. The thing you have to remember is Dave Smith has A LOT more money at his disposal - due largely to the television deal that was garnered on the back of Gallops work. Dave has spent more money in 2 years than Gallop had in 10. Which is great, but doesn't make him a genius. Interestingly not one person has mentioned Smith, where Dave would have been drawn and quartered by now. Anyway, my new prediction is that this will all prove itself to be a storm in a teacup. A couple of young men maybe did some coke at a party. Woop.