Broncos' wild night could hurt
By Dan Koch
September 17, 2008 ALLEGATIONS of serious misconduct by several Brisbane players have jeopardised sponsorship agreements worth millions and drawn condemnation from Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.
It is believed Queensland Police are unlikely to lay charges against star trio Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday and Darius Boyd unless new evidence is uncovered in the investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a Brisbane nightclub on Saturday evening.
As expected, all three were named in an unchanged Brisbane line-up for Saturday night's elimination final against Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium.
However, their wild night out with at least three other team-mates is being closely scrutinised by independent investigators employed by the Broncos. Players were reportedly asked to leave two separate venues and abused and spat at people while waiting for a cab.
The latter incident has led to calls for the Queensland Government to withdraw its taxpayer-funded support of the team when the three-year deal through Queensland Transport, worth about $1million, comes up for review at the end of the year.
Premier Bligh refused to say whether the sponsorship would end, but said the deal relied on the players adhering to strict behavioural standards.
"Obviously, any sponsorship we have would need to meet community standards," Bligh said.
"I don't think there's any football club in the world that doesn't from time to time have some difficulty. The real test is how they deal with those difficulties. I expect this club, like any other, to enforce its code of conduct.
"I expect the Broncos, like every other club, to have a code of conduct that meets community standards and to enforce that code of conduct.
"The Queensland Government has been a very proud sponsor of the Broncos. But we expect that they will adhere to a high standard of behaviour and a code of conduct."
Should the club's investigation uncover serious violations of the Broncos' code of conduct, the players involved face serious sanctions. The club had no hesitation in tearing up the contracts of Brett Seymour and Neville Costigan in 2006 and Ian Lacey and John Te Reo at the end of last season.
Whatever the outcome, steps are being put in place to strengthen what is already considered the NRL's most stringent code of conduct policy.
Assistant coach Ivan Henjak is believed to have addressed the need for an alcohol policy to be introduced when he takes over as head coach from Wayne Bennett in the off-season.
Given the Broncos' squad in 2009 will be the youngest in the club's history, the need for such a policy is unquestioned.
The current agreement with naming rights sponsor WOW Sight and Sound and the club's 14 other major sponsors are understood to include clauses pertaining to the standards of behaviour expected of the players.
Broncos boss Bruno Cullen said the club had taken "further steps" to co-operate with police and was keeping NRL boss David Gallop updated.
"This morning I met with two senior police officers in charge of the police investigation and we covered the process followed to date by both parties," he said.
"We also confirmed our resolve to work together to ensure all the facts are presented by all witnesses.
"The Broncos have taken further steps this afternoon to make sure this happens in an orderly and practical manner and as soon as possible."
Despite the damage caused in sections of the community by the events of the past three days, Brisbane officials remain confident of a massive crowd for the grudge match against the Maroons-laden Storm.
The NRL reported more than 13,000 tickets had been sold in the first 20 minutes of public sales.
The Brisbane players' state of mind when they take the field, however, remains to be seen. The mood at Monday morning's training session at Red Hill was decidedly on edge.
Hunt, Boyd and Thaiday trained alongside their team-mates before being swamped as they looked to leave the field and again when they moved from the dressing room to their cars.
Bennett has placed a strict ban on the entire squad from addressing the issue either with the media or among themselves.
Bookmakers have put the home side at long odds to upset Melbourne.
Sportingbet Australia listed Melbourne a $1.60 favourite.
The betting agency rate the Broncos outsiders at home following the controversy.
"The Broncos are at $2.35 despite a home ground advantage," Sportingbet chief executive Michael Sullivan said.
"This week's events will have done nothing to help their focus on the task at hand.
"The Broncos would obviously drift right out the door if these players are ruled out later in the week."
