- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Samoa have set off for the Rugby League World Cup, but several key stars have been left behind – including Cowboys forward Luciano Leilua, who was arrested yesterday on domestic violence charges.
Leilua’s lawyer told the Sydney Morning Herald that he chose not to board the plane in order to fight the charges next week and clear his name.
“I can confirm that Mr Leilua denies any wrongdoing and will be defending these matters vehemently,” said Elias Tabchouri.
“Mr Leilua has never been charged with any matters of violence in the past and is upset by the allegations that have been made against him, as he is opposed to violence of any type. It is not in his nature. Mr Leilua has the support of his family.”
“Mr Leilua voluntarily chose not to fly out with his teammates as scheduled to allow these matters to be addressed. He is, however, very keen to represent his country as he sees it as the pinnacle of his sport.”
Police were called to a Harrington Park address in southwestern Sydney yesterday and arrested a 26-year-old man on DV charges, later revealed to be Leilua.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
He is due to face court on October 11, which would leave him with a swift turnaround to get to the World Cup in time for Samoa’s first game on October 19 against England.
His club, the North Queensland Cowboys, released a statement they said they were aware of an alleged incident regarding which has resulted in police charges and would assist the NRL Integrity Unit.
The NRL has a no-fault stand-down policy regarding incidents that would lead to over 11 years in jail, and while Leilua’s charges are not in that category, he could still be subject to the policy as it has discretionary aspects concerning domestic violence.
As yet, it is not clear the extent to which the NRL’s policy applies to the Rugby League World Cup, though suspensions are generally honoured across tournaments.
Other Samoa players who did not immediately travel were those who were involved in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final, including the bulk of the Penrith Panthers backline who were at the club’s celebratory fan day and will travel later in the week.
England coach Shaun Wane is insistent that his side can lift the trophy on home soil despite losing their star halfback Jonny Lomax and strike centre Mark Percival to injury on the eve of the tournament.
The pair played in St Helens’ Grand Final win over Leeds Rhinos but were subsequently withdrawn with injury. Lomax was revealed to have been playing with a ruptured bicep and Percival, who missed the bulk of the year with a knee injury, was left out to allow him to recover further.
Wane said that the final call on Lomax lay with St Helens and the player himself. “It’s Saints’ medical staff and Jonny where he thinks he’s at,” he said.
“I trust him. I believe him in what he’s saying: he couldn’t do another eight, nine weeks and if he says that I’m never going to try and persuade a player.”
“I need our players who have been picked to understand what those guys would give to play in this tournament and how lucky they are to be in the.
“I’ve got four players there who are devastated that they’re not in; it could be Jonny’s last World Cup and he can’t play in it. It’s really sad but just one of those things.”Shortcode
Wales have named their squad for the tournament, and while it will contain no NRL talent, it does have the unusual quirk of including three sets of brothers.
The Evans brothers – Rhys and Ben – were born in Bridgend, have been around for years and passed through several systems, while the Davies brothers, Curtis and Connor, play on either side of Cumbria’s Marra divide, with the former at Whitehaven and the latter at Workington.
The standouts, however, are the Olds, Ollie and James. The both turn out for one of the most storied names in rugby league, the famous Valley Diehards club from the Brisbane comp that produced legendary Queensland players such as Wally Lewis, Vic Armbruster and, more recently, Ali Brigginshaw.
The Olds brothers will be among the few at the tournament from the Brisbane Rugby League, now a third tier comp behind the NRL and Q Cup in the hierarchy.
For all the best analysis of the tournament, check out out Rugby League World Cup podcast, World Cup Chasers, featuring two of our experts, Mike Meehall Wood and Mary Konstantopoulous, as well as Michael Carbone from Chasing Kangaroos, the leading podcast covering international footy.
© AAP
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.