Newcastle CEO Phil Gardner has laid down the law with Knights players before the end of the season – and I applaud him for it.
“If anyone plays up on Mad Monday, and brings the game into disrepute, their contracts will be torn up,” Gardner said to the Newcastle Herald.
“If they play up and bring the game into disrepute, they can expect to no longer be playing rugby league.”
If any of the players take the Mad Monday celebrating too far, they’ll get the sack.
To some people, that may be harsh. But I think it is the right call.
Why? So players can keep themselves out of trouble.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Gardner wants them to have fun and enjoy a good time during the off-season, which is prior to the pre-season, but keep themselves in good condition.
I’m sure if you went out and got in a drunken incident, and the police get involved, you’d be fired from your job.
It’s simple logic. The CEO wants the players to have some fun, not get wasted, or worst, arrested.
Between last year’s grand final and start of the 2019 season, we had far too many off-field incidents for the game – including two big ones for Knights players.
I know some of my fellow Knights fans are disappointed in Gardner’s comments and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I see the purpose behind it. The top teams in the game have the same type of attitude.
They have fun but don’t stuff up.
To the fans who aren’t a fan of Gardner’s decision, understand this: this is one of the things Nathan Brown was trying to take out of our players during the rebuilding days. Sure, some may have went out of line but not as much as before.
I understand that some of our players are in the young, wild and free mindset and there’s nothing wrong with that, providing you keep yourself in line without getting in trouble or breaking the law.
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