Inside the Dragons lockdown party where footy stars and WAGs crammed into cupboards, hid under beds and fled from cops - as club sacks the $800k player who hosted the 14-person get together
- Paul Vaughan cost teammates $305,000 for hosting illegal Covid party at home
- Twelve of his teammates were fined after they were caught hiding at the house
- Some tried to flee, others hid in closets and Jack de Belin was under a bed
- Investigations are underway as to whether girlfriends were present at party
- Do you know more about the party? Email brittany.chain@mailonline.com
By
Brittany Chain For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 11:46 AEST, 6 July 2021 | Updated: 14:31 AEST, 6 July 2021
The footy star who invited 12 of his teammates to his house for an illegal lockdown party has been sacked for jeopardising the entire NRL competition - as more extraordinary details emerge of the Dragons wild night.
Police were called to Paul Vaughan's Shellharbour home about 9.45pm on Saturday after neighbours complained of a noisy get together taking place.
What officers saw when they arrived was like something they're used to seeing when they're called out to an underage party brimming with illegal booze.
Some of the players reportedly attempted to flee and were caught running down the street, while others hid inside cupboards and those remaining tried to cover for their mates.
So far, 14 people have been fined for attending the party - including 13 St George Illawarra Dragons players and Vaughan's wife, Elle. They were reportedly celebrating a nail-biting win against the New Zealand Warriors from Friday night.
Police were called to Paul Vaughan's Shellharbour home about 9.45pm on Saturday after neighbours complained of an illegal party taking place
Jack De Belin (pictured with partner Alyce) allegedly hid under a bed when the police arrived at teammate Paul Vaughan's home on Saturday night. There is no suggestion Alyce was also at the party
But witnesses claimed they saw women scrambling to escape out the side door, and authorities are investigating whether and other wives and girlfriends attended.
As Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said at the beginning of lockdown, residents are fed up with rulebreakers and they're not afraid to dob in a neighbour.
Vaughan, a veteran St George Illawarra prop, copped the most serious punishment of the lot, having his lucrative $800,000-a-season contract torn up before his very eyes for his repeated Covid breaches.
While other players were spared, it is likely they'll be expected to publicly apologise for their actions, and more financial penalties are expected to be imposed.
The club is reportedly weighing up options of volunteer work in the community.
Most guests at Vaughan's party - including 12 other St George Illawarra Dragons stars - did an abysmal job at hiding from the cops.
Troubled playmaker Corey Norman reportedly legged it out the back door but forgot his car - fitted with personalised number plates - was parked out the front.
The only player who was any good at the impromptu game of hide and seek was star lock Jack de Belin, who escaped immediate punishment by allegedly hiding under a bed but handed himself in two days later at the behest of his club.
When police arrived at Paul Vaughan's house (pictured) they found some players running down the streets and others hiding in cupboards. Jack de Belin was hiding underneath a bed
Meanwhile other players, most of them big men whose jobs require them to pummel their competition on a weekly basis, allegedly crammed themselves into cupboards and wardrobes throughout the house.
Vaughan and his wife Elle couldn't hide when police knocked on their front door. The illegal gathering was hosted at their house, and the former is a known flouter of Covid regulations.
Back in August 2020, he was fined $10,000 after breaching the NRL biosecurity bubble to eat breakfast at a cafe. He was also suspended for two matches.
But on Saturday night, he encouraged most of his teammates to break the rules as well - putting his team's finals campaign and the entire NRL competition in jeopardy in the process.
The latest indiscretion has cost him his lucrative near $800,000-a-season contract, which still had 15 months to run.
This marching orders are effective immediately.
Jack de Belin (pictured with his fiancée Alyce Taylor and their two kids) was allegedly hiding under a bed when police attended Paul Vaughan's Saturday night barbecue. De Belin has since been fined $42,000 by the NRL. There is no suggestion Alyce was also at the party
Just 24 hours before the party, the Dragons fielded a goal which secured them the round 16 win over the New Zealand Warriors, and were warned against celebrating the victory.
The club's head of football Ben Haran and coach Anthony Griffin reportedly said to the boys in the sheds after the game: 'I know you love to celebrate, I know you love to have a drink but you can't, so do the right thing.'
The players went home to their wives and girlfriends, content with a quiet night in after the evening's heroics.
Come Saturday, the mood had changed. Vaughan invited some of his teammates to his home for a barbeque in direct defiance of club orders - and the state's Covid restrictions.
There are now investigations into whether some of the player's girlfriends attended the festivities, too.
DRAGONS FINED
Paul Vaughan - $50,000, plus eight game suspension
Corey Norman - $50,000 + one match
Jack de Belin - $42,000 + one match
Zac Lomax - $31,000 + one match
Jack Bird - $25,000 + one match
Matt Dufty - $23,000 + one match
Blake Lawry - $20,000 + one match
Josh Kerr - $18,000 + one match
Daniel Alvaro - $15,000 + one match
Josh McGuire - $12,000 + one match
Vaughan supplied beers and hosted the group for hours before neighbours called police to complain about the illegal gathering.
The party came to an abrupt end when officers knocked at the front door.
Witnesses claim they saw a number of women 'scampering' out a side exit and running down the street when police arrived at the door about 9.45pm.
Daily Mail Australia understands the players arrived at Vaughan's home late afternoon on Saturday intending to celebrate their win from the night before.
Zac Lomax, Josh McGuire, Jack Bird, Kaide Ellis, Blake Lawrie, Matt Dufty, Daniel Alvaro, Tyrell Fuimaono, Gerard Beale, and Josh Kerr were all caught at the house and fined $1,000 on the spot for breaching Covid restrictions.
Vaughan and his wife Ellie received the same fine, while Norman was reportedly brought back to the house and punished with his teammates.
It's not clear if the rest of Vaughan's teammates failed to receive an invitation to the celebration or just chose not to attend, but all three of the club's Origin stars avoided being caught up in the scandal.
Meanwhile the club and the NRL are investigating whether there was an attempt to cover up de Belin's attendance.
De Belin has only played four games for the club after enduring two years of the NRL's no fault stand down policy while he was investigated for sexual assault. The charges were dropped after two hung juries.
Fox Sport panellist Andrew Webster claims Vaughan changed his story two or three times while being interviewed by the NRL's integrity unit.
'Then there's Jack de Belin who said he was initially only walking his dog past Paul Vaughan's place and popped his head in to say hello, then it's emerged he was hiding under a bed when the police came knocking on the door,' he said on NRL 360 on Monday night.
In total, $305,000 worth of fines were distributed among players by the NRL on Monday, but the club will hold a crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss any further sanctions.
Vaughan and Norman were both fined $50,000 each, while de Belin copped a $42,000 fine.
The ten other Dragons were fined between $2,000 and $25,000 dependant on their salaries.
When police find boys hiding in cupboards and others fleeing out a side door at parties, they're usually breaking up a teenage gathering brimming with illegal booze.
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