http://www.rleague.com/content/article.php?id=39150
Morons Incorporated: If the Brian Smith wants to instil any discipline at the Sydney Roosters, he has no choice but to sack both Anthony Watts and Todd Carney.
The case against Watts is fairly simple. He has been at the club less than six months, has yet to play a game for the tricolours, is a fair player at best and is recently accused of punching his ex-girlfriend and then hitting her from behind. It is a squalid accusation and one that should land him in prison if, indeed, true. The negatives with Watts far outweigh the positives and it would be an act of obscene optimism if the Roosters were to keep him on their books.
Word was, Watts was about to be sacked after the Todd Carney drink driving incident but the club feared being viewed as offering different standards between star players and regular schmucks. He is millions to ever pull on the Tricolours jersey.
The more complex case is Todd Carney. Legally, it appears as if he did nothing wrong on Saturday night. He was merely out on the drink. Any other player, the Roosters probably shouldn't blink.
With Carney, they need to wield the axe. The simple fact is, Carney again broke team rules and he lied to the club. Carney was out drinking while injured, a breach of rules at any professional sports organisation. He also said he was going to return to Goulburn to see his mother, something that clearly did not happen.
Todd Carney is a player out of control. It is sad but it is fact. Rumours of his off-season binging have to be heard to be believed and he found himself again in trouble with his drinking when arrested for drink driving, the judge in the case saying he is one step away from prison. Buy the ticket, take the ride, Hunter Thompson said. The Roosters new what they were getting with Carney. It wasn't going to be all Dally M's and Australian spots.
He is a ticking time-bomb and the Roosters would be well advised to dispose of him immediately. They have a six in Braith Anasta and the season is young enough that it can still be salvaged.
Keeping Carney though only signals that the Roosters will allow him to march to the beat of his own drum, a very fast and off-beat solo in the jazz improvisational style. This certainly won't be good for team morale with the Roosters already playing like a team without focus, drive or cohesion.
When Carney has been on the field, the Roosters have hardly improved either, suggesting his on-field performances are no better than an average player when he is on the drink.
For mine, his career is as good as over. If the Roosters want to be dragged down with him, they need do nothing more than implement the star system and give him "one more chance".
I am not against players having a drink. I am not against players going out. I am one of the few defenders of the modern player and his rights to exist as a regular man.
I am, however, stringent in my belief that the team comes before all else and what Carney has to offer simply doesn't outweigh the damage he has done and will continue to inflict. Carney needs to be dumped...and it should be a pure footballing call.
Stories of the antics of Roosters players have been out since the summer. They have got lazy and distracted. In their current state, they won't make the eight.
Morons Incorporated: If the Brian Smith wants to instil any discipline at the Sydney Roosters, he has no choice but to sack both Anthony Watts and Todd Carney.
The case against Watts is fairly simple. He has been at the club less than six months, has yet to play a game for the tricolours, is a fair player at best and is recently accused of punching his ex-girlfriend and then hitting her from behind. It is a squalid accusation and one that should land him in prison if, indeed, true. The negatives with Watts far outweigh the positives and it would be an act of obscene optimism if the Roosters were to keep him on their books.
Word was, Watts was about to be sacked after the Todd Carney drink driving incident but the club feared being viewed as offering different standards between star players and regular schmucks. He is millions to ever pull on the Tricolours jersey.
The more complex case is Todd Carney. Legally, it appears as if he did nothing wrong on Saturday night. He was merely out on the drink. Any other player, the Roosters probably shouldn't blink.
With Carney, they need to wield the axe. The simple fact is, Carney again broke team rules and he lied to the club. Carney was out drinking while injured, a breach of rules at any professional sports organisation. He also said he was going to return to Goulburn to see his mother, something that clearly did not happen.
Todd Carney is a player out of control. It is sad but it is fact. Rumours of his off-season binging have to be heard to be believed and he found himself again in trouble with his drinking when arrested for drink driving, the judge in the case saying he is one step away from prison. Buy the ticket, take the ride, Hunter Thompson said. The Roosters new what they were getting with Carney. It wasn't going to be all Dally M's and Australian spots.
He is a ticking time-bomb and the Roosters would be well advised to dispose of him immediately. They have a six in Braith Anasta and the season is young enough that it can still be salvaged.
Keeping Carney though only signals that the Roosters will allow him to march to the beat of his own drum, a very fast and off-beat solo in the jazz improvisational style. This certainly won't be good for team morale with the Roosters already playing like a team without focus, drive or cohesion.
When Carney has been on the field, the Roosters have hardly improved either, suggesting his on-field performances are no better than an average player when he is on the drink.
For mine, his career is as good as over. If the Roosters want to be dragged down with him, they need do nothing more than implement the star system and give him "one more chance".
I am not against players having a drink. I am not against players going out. I am one of the few defenders of the modern player and his rights to exist as a regular man.
I am, however, stringent in my belief that the team comes before all else and what Carney has to offer simply doesn't outweigh the damage he has done and will continue to inflict. Carney needs to be dumped...and it should be a pure footballing call.
Stories of the antics of Roosters players have been out since the summer. They have got lazy and distracted. In their current state, they won't make the eight.
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