A dozen NRL players who allegedly breached the code’s strict biosecurity protocol by attending a barbecue at a teammate’s home during lockdown have been slammed by officials and former stars as ‘selfish and stupid’.
St George Illawarra star Paul Vaughan allegedly hosted the party at his Shellharbour home south of Sydney on Saturday night, with police and the NRL’s Integrity Unit launching separate investigations.
Police have issued $1,000 infringement notices to 13 people, understood to be Vaughan, his wife Elle and 11 visitors who also allegedly breached public health orders to stay at home as Sydney battles to control its latest coronavirus outbreak.
Dragons teammates Corey Norman, Zac Lomax, Josh McGuire, Jack Bird, Kaide Ellis, Blake Lawrie, Matt Dufty, Daniel Alvaro, Tyrell Fuimaono, Gerard Beale and Josh Kerr are believed to be the visitors who were also issued infringement notices.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo warned the players could face ‘significant’ sanctions, which could include missing games and further fines.
St George Illawarra star Paul Vaughan and his wife Elle have been issued with $1,000 fines after allegedly holding a house party at their Shellharbour home
‘I’m disappointed, to be honest I’m gutted. We’re all working hard to keep the game going so we expect more from the players,’ he told Fox Sports’ Big League Wrap on Sunday night.
‘People make mistakes, sure, but there’s a lot at stake here. We’re going to work around the clock to complete the investigation, finalise it and then we’ll deal with the players hopefully (on Monday).
‘It’s no good having protocols if they’re not going to be adhered to so we’re going to continue working through the night to finalise this matter and deal with it.
‘It’s a small group of players that are impacting a very, very large group of people.’
Its understood no members of the public were in attendance, but the police were alerted after a noise complaint.
Currently seventh on the ladder, the Dragons may be forced to field a second string side for their next clash against the Manly if the players are forced to spend time on the sidelines through suspension or quarantine.
There is also speculation in league circles the team could be stripped competition points.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo (right) has expressed his disappointment over the alleged breach and has warned of ‘significant’ sanctions
‘This is quite significant so we’re going to take it pretty seriously. You can expect a significant sanction if the allegations are proven and we’ll do that relatively quickly,’ Abdo added.
‘This is affecting all of us. Many of us are in lockdown, there are businesses taking strain, we’re all very confined and doing the right thing. But this was not doing the right thing. We need to make sure the players understand the consequences.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys is also furious the competition has been put in jeopardy.
‘The players have to understand that if they don’t follow the protocols there will be no game,’ V’landys said.
‘And if there is no game not only does it affect their salary and wages, but also the salary and wages of players in the future.
‘Because it will have a dramatic financial effect on the finances of the game.
‘They have to understand they are playing not only for themselves but their fellow players, future players and all the people who make a living out of rugby league.
‘That is enough of an incentive for them to follow the protocols.’
Former NRL stars also weighed into the debate to express their disappointment.
‘If this is true, this is a huge issue,’ former Cronulla Sharks and NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen told Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday moments after the news of the alleged breach broke.
‘They will be punished severely. I can see something severe happening here. Big, big fines and time out of the game. This is going to be huge.’
Former NRL star Matty Johns said the alleged breach could have serious ramifications for the Dragons season but also the rest of the NRL.
‘The competition is on a knife’s edge and it’s real bad look for people out there following the rules and a lot of people are out of work because of it,’ he told Fox Sports on Sunday.
The alleged breach occurred 12 hours after St George Illawarra came from 12 points behind to beat the New Zealand Warriors in golden point on Friday night (pictured)
It is the third NRL breach in the space of a fortnight after five Canterbury players became close contacts of a Covid-19 case when they visited a Bondi pub two weeks ago, resulting in a $50,000 for the club.
Cronulla centre Josh Dugan was also fined $25,000 and sidelined for 14 days for visiting a Sydney restaurant before the city’s lockdown began.
It’s not the first time Vaughan, 30, has allegedly breached strict biosecurity protocols.
He was stood down for two weeks and fined $10,000 last year after flouting biosecurity laws by visiting a cafe and signing in under a fake name.
The sport’s Covid bubble keeps players under strict lockdown to ensure no one becomes infected and stops games being played.
Pictured: Paul and Elle Vaughan. The NRL star is accused of inviting multiple people to his home while Sydney is in lockdown