Bob
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http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/panthers-fume-at-condition-of-frank-the-tank/2007/11/22/1195321950438.html
An ardous Test series against Great Britain should have kept Penrith back-rower Frank Pritchard taut and trim and at his playing weight.
Instead, the Panthers are furious he has come back overweight and badly out of condition, and will lodge a formal complaint with the Rugby League International Federation.
The Herald understands Penrith coach Matt Elliott was far from impressed when he eyed a bloated Pritchard from the stands at KC Stadium in Hull during the second Test, which Great Britain won 44-0.
While Elliott, who was in England coaching the US Tomahawks in World Cup qualification, admitted he had not seen Pritchard since the player arrived home on Monday, he accused the Kiwis of failing to properly look after representative players.
"I have a question mark on whether Frank is coming back to us in a better position than when he left," Elliott said. "You would have to think your rep players are amongst your highest-paid players. So when representative teams take those players away, they have a duty of care.
"I'll be honest: I have a question mark on whether the New Zealand team has fulfilled that duty of care."
Pritchard, whose nickname is "The Tank" and usually weighs about 106 kilograms, does not have to front training until next month but will meet Elliott next week and undergo fitness testing. He did not return the Herald's calls.
The Kiwis, under new coach Gary Kemble, lost each of their three matches against Great Britain and struggled to defeat France 22-14 last weekend.
Panthers chief executive Glenn Matthews said those results meant the Kiwis' level of professionalism had to be questioned.
"You look at how New Zealand performed on the field, and others have made observations that some of them didn't look that fit, and you have to wonder how they were managed and what was going on over there," he said."
Matthews said he would lodge a formal complaint to the RLIF through the Australian Rugby League. He also revealed that chief executives had expressed concerns in the past about the condition of their Kiwi players after they had returned from international tours.
Elliott said he was impressed with how Papua New Guinea officials kept them informed with the fitness and conditioning of hooker Paul Aiton and five-eighth Keith Peters.
"When the Kumuls took Keith Peters and Paul Aiton away, after every game we had a full medical report," he said.
"The Australian team is the same. For me, it was encouraging to get that sort of liaison.
"We didn't receive that from NZRL. I wouldn't know if Frank had a broken neck. I presume he's OK. They've got a duty of care to make sure those players come back in at least as good a condition - injury aside - as they leave us in.
"I'm not absolving the individual of any blame. He has a responsibility too. He knows his preparation."
NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz said he would contact the Panthers today and ask them to forward their complaint to him ahead of a debriefing session of the Kiwis' coaching staff and team management to review the tour.
An ardous Test series against Great Britain should have kept Penrith back-rower Frank Pritchard taut and trim and at his playing weight.
Instead, the Panthers are furious he has come back overweight and badly out of condition, and will lodge a formal complaint with the Rugby League International Federation.
The Herald understands Penrith coach Matt Elliott was far from impressed when he eyed a bloated Pritchard from the stands at KC Stadium in Hull during the second Test, which Great Britain won 44-0.
While Elliott, who was in England coaching the US Tomahawks in World Cup qualification, admitted he had not seen Pritchard since the player arrived home on Monday, he accused the Kiwis of failing to properly look after representative players.
"I have a question mark on whether Frank is coming back to us in a better position than when he left," Elliott said. "You would have to think your rep players are amongst your highest-paid players. So when representative teams take those players away, they have a duty of care.
"I'll be honest: I have a question mark on whether the New Zealand team has fulfilled that duty of care."
Pritchard, whose nickname is "The Tank" and usually weighs about 106 kilograms, does not have to front training until next month but will meet Elliott next week and undergo fitness testing. He did not return the Herald's calls.
The Kiwis, under new coach Gary Kemble, lost each of their three matches against Great Britain and struggled to defeat France 22-14 last weekend.
Panthers chief executive Glenn Matthews said those results meant the Kiwis' level of professionalism had to be questioned.
"You look at how New Zealand performed on the field, and others have made observations that some of them didn't look that fit, and you have to wonder how they were managed and what was going on over there," he said."
Matthews said he would lodge a formal complaint to the RLIF through the Australian Rugby League. He also revealed that chief executives had expressed concerns in the past about the condition of their Kiwi players after they had returned from international tours.
Elliott said he was impressed with how Papua New Guinea officials kept them informed with the fitness and conditioning of hooker Paul Aiton and five-eighth Keith Peters.
"When the Kumuls took Keith Peters and Paul Aiton away, after every game we had a full medical report," he said.
"The Australian team is the same. For me, it was encouraging to get that sort of liaison.
"We didn't receive that from NZRL. I wouldn't know if Frank had a broken neck. I presume he's OK. They've got a duty of care to make sure those players come back in at least as good a condition - injury aside - as they leave us in.
"I'm not absolving the individual of any blame. He has a responsibility too. He knows his preparation."
NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz said he would contact the Panthers today and ask them to forward their complaint to him ahead of a debriefing session of the Kiwis' coaching staff and team management to review the tour.
and when they are not they can be a shirt grabber and a revolving door in defence:x
