"Selfish" Dragons players put the entire NRL at risk with a "stupid" house party - yet league bosses should think twice about hurting "innocent people" by stripping premiership points.
That was the message from legendary coach Phil Gould, after 13 people were fined $1000 by NSW Police over a party held at ex-Test front-rower Paul Vaughan's house in Shellharbour.
The party was a flagrant breach of both NSW Government and NRL rules, held amid the ongoing Sydney lockdown and with rugby league under Level Four biosecurity restrictions; which specifically prohibit players from having people at their homes.
"It is stupid, it is very, very selfish. As we heard from the assistant commissioner [Gary Worboys], this is a community effort and these players have really portrayed our game in a very bad light," Gould told Nine's TODAY on Monday.
"[ARLC chairman] Peter V'landys is right, too, speaking to him and [NRL CEO] Andrew Abdo last night: these players just aren't aware of the ramifications of their actions.
"We rely on a lot of trust in our relationship with the government to keep our game going, to get around border restrictions at different times. And if the government can't trust our game and can't trust our players - we've had the Bulldogs break out and now the Dragons - then they can take away that right to keep our game going.
"That will have huge financial ramifications for the game and even affects our future. One night, they have a few drinks and a few mates around to your place, knowing you're doing the wrong thing, it's just stupid."
Vaughan and his wife Ellie, Corey Norman, Jack Bird, Zac Lomax, Matt Dufty, Josh McGuire, Daniel Alvaro, Kaide Ellis, Gerard Beale, Josh Kerr, Tyrell Fuimaono and Blake Lawrie were reportedly the 13 people fined by police. Norman was reportedly not at the house when police attended but his wallet was found sitting on the barbecue.
The players may face a 14-day 'COVID hold' period of being stood down, potentially leaving the club with a second-string team for the next fortnight. The NRL will decide its own sanction for the players, on top of the police fine. Gould said that they could expect to be harshly dealt with, yet cautioned the NRL over stripping points due to the impact on the club and its fans.
"That's how we know they knew they were doing the wrong thing - but they did it anyway," Gould said of players fleeing the scene.
"And the [NRL] penalty is interesting because if you suspend players from playing or deduct premiership points, that hurts the rest of their club, that hurts their fans, who are innocent in this. If you give them financial fines, I'd imagine they're going to be extremely hefty. But it's going to be interesting how Peter V'landys handles this in the next 24 hours. I know he's extremely disappointed.
"[Stripping points] would be a very stiff penalty for sure but that penalises everyone else. It penalises a lot of innocent people. Financially, how do you send a message to the players?
"But I think the warning here is that the ramifications of this are far greater than just individual penalties. What could potentially come from this is a lack of trust from the government, if ever we need that special dispensation to get around border restrictions or travel, or even to keep our game going.
"That's where the community get annoyed because they're not allowed to be playing sport, they can't be going to venues and they're relying on the players to keep this game going. Our game, financially, needs it. If the broadcast money doesn't come in, that's going to affect a lot of people. No one will get paid."
The Dragons beat the Warriors in golden point on Friday and now sit seventh on the NRL ladder, with an 8-8 record for the season under new coach Anthony Griffin.
Vaughan flaunted the NRL's biosecurity rules last year by going to a cafe while subject to bubble regulations. He was branded "selfish" by then-coach Paul McGregor.
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/dragons-party-covid19-breach-phil-gould-selfish-but-points-penalty-hurts-innocent-people/0fc1fb57-ae61-4352-9fdf-b99835fb0e57
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