Titans ready to sack Walker
By Steve Mascord
April 18, 2007
TROUBLED rugby league star Chris Walker risks having his Gold Coast contract torn up today after another off-field misdemeanour.
The former Queensland Origin wing's NRL career could be ended when a club disciplinary committee reconvenes this morning to hear evidence gathered by managing director Michael Searle about an incident in a bar at the weekend.
Walker, who is due to return from a broken thumb in two weeks, is understood to have been ejected from a bar for bad behaviour.
"We've investigated an incident and, in the interests of not denying anyone natural justice, there's not much more I can say," Searle said last night.
"This is not a criminal offence, there are no victims, but the players' code has been breached and that is something we've been very strong on from day one."
The Titans were generally perceived as the "last chance" for Walker after years of strife at Brisbane, Sydney Roosters, South Sydney and Melbourne.
After being rescued from the rugby league scrapheap, he recently joked that he would prefer to be referred to as "reformed" in newspaper articles.
But Searle said there was no clause in Walker's contract that he would be subject to zero tolerance, and he would not speculate on the likely result.
He said the disciplinary committee had been formed according to corporations law. He declined to name the panellists.
"The committee had a meeting today and we adjourned while I gathered some materials overnight," Searle said.
"We will reconvene tomorrow."
Walker's agent, Chris Orr, did not return calls last night.
NRL chief executive David Gallop said: "Gold Coast have advised us that they are dealing with an issue and they are keeping us informed."
