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Did Anthony Griffin overreact? Griffin strips Matty Moylan of the captaincy.
Panthers captain Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake dropped for ‘team protocol breach’
PANTHERS officials have backed coach Anthony Griffin’s tough call to dump skipper Matt Moylan and two other players to reserve grade for breaching a booze curfew.
Penrith’s preparations for Friday night’s clash against South Sydney were thrown into disarray when Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku were flicked to the NSW Cup because of a late night out in Melbourne.
Tyrone Peachey will also spend time on the sidelines with a rib injury, while Bryce Cartwright remains out of action with an ankle problem.
The Daily Telegraph understands the players returned to the Pullman Hotel at Albert Park following their 28-6 loss to the Storm on Saturday night, and enjoyed dinner and a few beers around 10.30pm.
Griffin has encouraged players to enjoy a beer in the sheds after a game to build camaraderie, with debutants even expected to skoll a drink after their debut.
But mindful of the six-day turnaround against Souths, Griffin did not want his players kicking on in Melbourne, only for Moylan, Hiku and Blake to have other ideas.
The trio were not involved in any altercations, but were out into the early hours.
Peter Wallace, the man initially expected to be anointed skipper before Moylan was promoted last year, will now captain the Panthers with Dylan Edwards named in Moylan’s No. 1 jersey.
The trio all trained at Pepper Stadium on Tuesday and appeared in good spirits.
“We’re 100 per cent behind the coach on this,’’ Panthers boss Brian Fletcher told The Daily Telegraph last night.
“They broke the club rules and you have to abide by them.
“Naturally we’re disappointed the skipper is involved, but they’re young boys, and they’ll learn from this and become better people.
“Someone else gets an opportunity now.
“It didn’t matter we’ve got a home game coming up. It also shows there is no favouritism here.’’
Griffin has never been shy to make tough calls, and swung the selection axe on Peachey last year after he was late for a recovery. Peachey returned to finish the season in career-best form and burst out of the blocks this year before busting a rib during the Storm game.
As the Panthers try to focus on their Pepper Stadium showdown, Souths coach Michael Maguire said he was confident Robbie Farah would overcome back spasms and play."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...h/news-story/1391986c013ff978eed668f520bffdc2
Panthers captain Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake dropped for ‘team protocol breach’
PANTHERS officials have backed coach Anthony Griffin’s tough call to dump skipper Matt Moylan and two other players to reserve grade for breaching a booze curfew.
Penrith’s preparations for Friday night’s clash against South Sydney were thrown into disarray when Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku were flicked to the NSW Cup because of a late night out in Melbourne.
Tyrone Peachey will also spend time on the sidelines with a rib injury, while Bryce Cartwright remains out of action with an ankle problem.
The Daily Telegraph understands the players returned to the Pullman Hotel at Albert Park following their 28-6 loss to the Storm on Saturday night, and enjoyed dinner and a few beers around 10.30pm.
Griffin has encouraged players to enjoy a beer in the sheds after a game to build camaraderie, with debutants even expected to skoll a drink after their debut.
But mindful of the six-day turnaround against Souths, Griffin did not want his players kicking on in Melbourne, only for Moylan, Hiku and Blake to have other ideas.
The trio were not involved in any altercations, but were out into the early hours.
Peter Wallace, the man initially expected to be anointed skipper before Moylan was promoted last year, will now captain the Panthers with Dylan Edwards named in Moylan’s No. 1 jersey.
The trio all trained at Pepper Stadium on Tuesday and appeared in good spirits.
“We’re 100 per cent behind the coach on this,’’ Panthers boss Brian Fletcher told The Daily Telegraph last night.
“They broke the club rules and you have to abide by them.
“Naturally we’re disappointed the skipper is involved, but they’re young boys, and they’ll learn from this and become better people.
“Someone else gets an opportunity now.
“It didn’t matter we’ve got a home game coming up. It also shows there is no favouritism here.’’
Griffin has never been shy to make tough calls, and swung the selection axe on Peachey last year after he was late for a recovery. Peachey returned to finish the season in career-best form and burst out of the blocks this year before busting a rib during the Storm game.
As the Panthers try to focus on their Pepper Stadium showdown, Souths coach Michael Maguire said he was confident Robbie Farah would overcome back spasms and play."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...h/news-story/1391986c013ff978eed668f520bffdc2
