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SHORTLY after midday yesterday, NSWRL chief executive Geoff Carr stormed into the Blues' hotel at Coogee and summoned Mark Gasnier to appear before him.
The Blues centre was asked to explain an obscene voicemail message which had been left on a Sydney woman's mobile at 3.41am on Wednesday.
The offensive call had allegedly been made from the backseat of a taxi on NSW winger Anthony Minchiello's mobile and came about the same time a team bonding session was spinning rapidly out of control.
"[Woman's name], where the f*** are you?" the voice said.
"There's four toey humans in the cab - it's 20 to four. Our c**** are fat and f****** ready to spurt sauce and you're in bed. F*** me - fire up, you sad c***."
Carr already suspected the voice was that of the 22-year-old Dragons centre, but he needed to hear it from Gasnier himself.
Carr had spent his morning sticking his neck out to defend the reputation of Gasnier, Minichiello and their Blues team-mates.
It took Gasnier less than two minutes to confess to leaving the obscene message. With the game trying to drag itself out of the gutter over the Bulldogs rape allegations, this latest scandal has seen it fall head first back into it again.
There were reports late last night that another woman may have received messages on her mobile phone - although there were no suggestions they were lewd in nature - around the same time as Gasnier's indiscretion.
The ramifications were enormous, and immediate, for Gasnier. He was sacked from the Blues, stood down indefinitely by his club side the Dragons, while NSW pulled stumps on their Origin camp a day early to avoid media scrutiny today. The Dragons also closed this morning's training session before their match against Parramatta tonight.
Brisbane centre Michael De Vere was invited to join the NSW team when they head back into camp on Sunday night.
Gasnier and his manager George Mimis spent the rest of the day at St George Leagues Club, where they were told he faces a fine on top of the suspension from club duty.
The day's events were a far cry from last week, when a 30-man NSW squad assembled at Telstra Stadium and coach Phil Gould said he abandoned thoughts of a "dry" pre-Origin camp because he faced a revolt from team management if he went ahead with the policy.
Bearing that in mind, Tuesday night had been designated as the night players would be allowed to let their hair down and celebrate their inclusion in the NSW team with a traditional bonding session.
After a day training and promoting the game at St Marys in Sydney's western suburbs, the players were looking forward to a night on the town.
It was a night that started off innocently enough. Dinner at St Marys Leagues club was followed by a stop and a few drinks at the Colyton Hotel.
By the time the team bus hit the eastern suburbs, the forwards were off to the Charing Cross Hotel in Waverley and the backs to the Clovelly Hotel.
The two groups met again at the Clovelly Hotel before moving to the Coogee Bay Hotel, where they stayed until 3am.
That's when events start to get a little hazy. Some players headed to Sydney's casino Star City in Darling Harbour, others to Kings Cross, but the end result was Carr was left with a mess to clean up over the next 36 hours.
The problems started when reports surfaced that three players were spotted on a peak hour bus from Leichhardt to Central station at 7.30am, the remnants of a half eaten sausage roll sitting on the floor in front of them.
But there was worse to come.
A 27-year-old woman, who was a friend of a woman Minichiello was "interested in", contacted Sydney's The Daily Telegraph and played a message left on her mobile that she described as "inappropriate" and "disgusting".
Minichiello defended himself in the article (although for legal reasons he was not named), claiming he had lost his mobile phone on the night and didn't make the call.
Given the game is still tarnished after the Bulldogs sex scandal, it was hardly surprising the media machine clicked into overdrive and Carr was forced to front at NSWRL headquarters in Phillip Street at 11.30am yesterday to explain what was going on.
By that time, the NSWRL boss had slipped up and half-named Minichiello as the player who had lost his mobile on ABC radio, although he needn't have worried. Across town, Ray Hadley in his radio program had already named the Test fullback as the player involved.
Carr spent the next 20 minutes at Phillip Street being grilled about the incident, but his answer was pretty much the same for every question: as far as he was aware, the players had done nothing wrong. Privately he was telling members of the media that the players were victims of vindictive reporting.
At the press conference when asked about the phone message, Carr said: "No-one's admitted to taking the phone and no-one's admitted to being part of that."
Of players catching a bus at 7.30am a week before what is regarded as the toughest football contest in the world, he said: "Catching a government bus isn't a crime these days."
On whether there was a need for a firm hand in future bonding sessions, he added: "We're going to have to look at all that, but exercises in team bonding going back 10 or 20 years went for a number of days."
On the Blues spitting the dummy and refusing to talk to the media after training yesterday, he said: "They feel as if they've been unfairly subjected to a media attack, so it's their view they just want to let it lay low."
It took only four hours for Carr to front another press conference. The media pack was already aware something was fishy after Gasnier was the only player not to file off the team bus at Wentworth Park for training at 2.30pm.
Carr told a different story to the one he related at 11.30am.
According to Carr, Gasnier admitted it was his voice on the message, but, as far as they could determine, the call hadn't been made in the presence of other players.
"We don't believe the phone call was made from a cab," Carr said. "The phone was subsequently lost, but our understanding is it wasn't lost at the time of the call.
"We received a clear copy of that message, there were no other noises or sounds on that message. I met with team management and we called Mark in and Mark agreed that it was his voice on the message.
"In the short term, he's out of the State of Origin. You'd have to say it's going to be difficult for him to get back in."
Gasnier, who had celebrated his inclusion in the Blues a month after being given a week off to contemplate his future in the game, was soon heading back to the Dragons' Sydney headquarters in Kogarah to face the music from his club.
The meeting lasted for more than two hours and, by the end of it, Gasnier's punishment had been extended to a fine and suspension from the Dragons.
"I certainly apologise for this," an emotional Gasnier said last night. "I will make contact with the person to personally apologise.
"I was under the influence of alcohol, but I understand I have to be responsible for my actions.
"I have paid a huge price for my actions in the circumstances. It has been my life ambition to play State of Origin."
The punishment may not end there. Gasnier may not have any football commitments to worry about this weekend, but the last paragraph on his statement suggests he still faces an uncomfortable time at home.
"I apologise to my partner, my family, my club, my team-mates and to the game for the public drama that has been created
well well well :lol: :lol: :lol: ;-)
The Blues centre was asked to explain an obscene voicemail message which had been left on a Sydney woman's mobile at 3.41am on Wednesday.
The offensive call had allegedly been made from the backseat of a taxi on NSW winger Anthony Minchiello's mobile and came about the same time a team bonding session was spinning rapidly out of control.
"[Woman's name], where the f*** are you?" the voice said.
"There's four toey humans in the cab - it's 20 to four. Our c**** are fat and f****** ready to spurt sauce and you're in bed. F*** me - fire up, you sad c***."
Carr already suspected the voice was that of the 22-year-old Dragons centre, but he needed to hear it from Gasnier himself.
Carr had spent his morning sticking his neck out to defend the reputation of Gasnier, Minichiello and their Blues team-mates.
It took Gasnier less than two minutes to confess to leaving the obscene message. With the game trying to drag itself out of the gutter over the Bulldogs rape allegations, this latest scandal has seen it fall head first back into it again.
There were reports late last night that another woman may have received messages on her mobile phone - although there were no suggestions they were lewd in nature - around the same time as Gasnier's indiscretion.
The ramifications were enormous, and immediate, for Gasnier. He was sacked from the Blues, stood down indefinitely by his club side the Dragons, while NSW pulled stumps on their Origin camp a day early to avoid media scrutiny today. The Dragons also closed this morning's training session before their match against Parramatta tonight.
Brisbane centre Michael De Vere was invited to join the NSW team when they head back into camp on Sunday night.
Gasnier and his manager George Mimis spent the rest of the day at St George Leagues Club, where they were told he faces a fine on top of the suspension from club duty.
The day's events were a far cry from last week, when a 30-man NSW squad assembled at Telstra Stadium and coach Phil Gould said he abandoned thoughts of a "dry" pre-Origin camp because he faced a revolt from team management if he went ahead with the policy.
Bearing that in mind, Tuesday night had been designated as the night players would be allowed to let their hair down and celebrate their inclusion in the NSW team with a traditional bonding session.
After a day training and promoting the game at St Marys in Sydney's western suburbs, the players were looking forward to a night on the town.
It was a night that started off innocently enough. Dinner at St Marys Leagues club was followed by a stop and a few drinks at the Colyton Hotel.
By the time the team bus hit the eastern suburbs, the forwards were off to the Charing Cross Hotel in Waverley and the backs to the Clovelly Hotel.
The two groups met again at the Clovelly Hotel before moving to the Coogee Bay Hotel, where they stayed until 3am.
That's when events start to get a little hazy. Some players headed to Sydney's casino Star City in Darling Harbour, others to Kings Cross, but the end result was Carr was left with a mess to clean up over the next 36 hours.
The problems started when reports surfaced that three players were spotted on a peak hour bus from Leichhardt to Central station at 7.30am, the remnants of a half eaten sausage roll sitting on the floor in front of them.
But there was worse to come.
A 27-year-old woman, who was a friend of a woman Minichiello was "interested in", contacted Sydney's The Daily Telegraph and played a message left on her mobile that she described as "inappropriate" and "disgusting".
Minichiello defended himself in the article (although for legal reasons he was not named), claiming he had lost his mobile phone on the night and didn't make the call.
Given the game is still tarnished after the Bulldogs sex scandal, it was hardly surprising the media machine clicked into overdrive and Carr was forced to front at NSWRL headquarters in Phillip Street at 11.30am yesterday to explain what was going on.
By that time, the NSWRL boss had slipped up and half-named Minichiello as the player who had lost his mobile on ABC radio, although he needn't have worried. Across town, Ray Hadley in his radio program had already named the Test fullback as the player involved.
Carr spent the next 20 minutes at Phillip Street being grilled about the incident, but his answer was pretty much the same for every question: as far as he was aware, the players had done nothing wrong. Privately he was telling members of the media that the players were victims of vindictive reporting.
At the press conference when asked about the phone message, Carr said: "No-one's admitted to taking the phone and no-one's admitted to being part of that."
Of players catching a bus at 7.30am a week before what is regarded as the toughest football contest in the world, he said: "Catching a government bus isn't a crime these days."
On whether there was a need for a firm hand in future bonding sessions, he added: "We're going to have to look at all that, but exercises in team bonding going back 10 or 20 years went for a number of days."
On the Blues spitting the dummy and refusing to talk to the media after training yesterday, he said: "They feel as if they've been unfairly subjected to a media attack, so it's their view they just want to let it lay low."
It took only four hours for Carr to front another press conference. The media pack was already aware something was fishy after Gasnier was the only player not to file off the team bus at Wentworth Park for training at 2.30pm.
Carr told a different story to the one he related at 11.30am.
According to Carr, Gasnier admitted it was his voice on the message, but, as far as they could determine, the call hadn't been made in the presence of other players.
"We don't believe the phone call was made from a cab," Carr said. "The phone was subsequently lost, but our understanding is it wasn't lost at the time of the call.
"We received a clear copy of that message, there were no other noises or sounds on that message. I met with team management and we called Mark in and Mark agreed that it was his voice on the message.
"In the short term, he's out of the State of Origin. You'd have to say it's going to be difficult for him to get back in."
Gasnier, who had celebrated his inclusion in the Blues a month after being given a week off to contemplate his future in the game, was soon heading back to the Dragons' Sydney headquarters in Kogarah to face the music from his club.
The meeting lasted for more than two hours and, by the end of it, Gasnier's punishment had been extended to a fine and suspension from the Dragons.
"I certainly apologise for this," an emotional Gasnier said last night. "I will make contact with the person to personally apologise.
"I was under the influence of alcohol, but I understand I have to be responsible for my actions.
"I have paid a huge price for my actions in the circumstances. It has been my life ambition to play State of Origin."
The punishment may not end there. Gasnier may not have any football commitments to worry about this weekend, but the last paragraph on his statement suggests he still faces an uncomfortable time at home.
"I apologise to my partner, my family, my club, my team-mates and to the game for the public drama that has been created
well well well :lol: :lol: :lol: ;-)
