skeepe
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Wild west has plenty of sand to bury heads
Jacquelin Magnay
THE Western Force are the club that initially tried to cover up the disturbing "quokka shocker" animal cruelty of Scott Fava and Richard Brown.
The same club that was part of a secret $15,000 payment, after which a 2004 South African complaint of assault against Matt Henjak went away and assault charges were dropped. A club that so fiercely protects its players that allegations that Henjak assaulted the former chief executive's son and, in another incident, offended a woman, were dealt with internally. A club that has denied that there was another alleged assault on a club employee by players, including Henjak.
This is the same club that lured players to the west with secret illegal deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is the wild, wild west. So it is not surprising to learn the Force have taken no action - indeed they have been complicit in trying to play down the ugly behaviour of Henjak and teammate Haig Sare. The WA police are not involved, and they say they are powerless to investigate unless a complaint is made. And one of the men involved, Sare, can't talk at the moment for his jaw is wired.
In the latest incident, Henjak and Sare, who was expected to start the season opener against the Sharks in South Africa on Saturday morning Sydney time, took to each other in the men's toilets of the The Left Bank in Fremantle last Sunday. Henjak was left with injuries to his left arm, deep scratches to his neck and a fat ear.
Sare suffered a broken jaw - identified only when he saw the club doctor on Monday morning. By that afternoon he was on the operating table and had a plate inserted. The Force tried their old trick - the cover-up. They named both Henjak and Sare in their touring team leaving yesterday, knowing Sare would be out at least three months.
After persistence from the Herald and The West Australian newspaper, which coincidentally had planned a feature on Sare, the club issued a press release claiming there was an "altercation". The Force refused to name the players. The newly installed chief executive, Mitch Hardy wouldn't talk to anyone. The chairman, Geoff Stooke, was in hospital for his own private tests.
The club spokesman was saying Hardy and Stooke would conduct an internal review. Now the club says it will take a couple of weeks of investigation from a disciplinary committee before any action is taken. Does anyone else predict a wet lettuce leaf slap on the wrist? Hardy says player contracts are on the line, but they were on the line throughout a handful of "incidents" in the past two years.
The club believes it can handle this drama without any public scrutiny because no one from the public was involved. Wrong.
The club, its players and coaches, like all other ARU clubs, are under the routine radar of the Australian Taxation Office. Some players are still being looked at by a joint task force of the NSW and WA police. The club's major sponsor, Emirates, only reluctantly, and with promises of reform about player behaviour and the club culture, continued its association late last year.
There is a simmering tension that threatens to explode and destroy the franchise. Yesterday coach John Mitchell misread the mood, perhaps thinking the ARU's indulgence of past behaviours would continue. His statement that Henjak won't be sidelined as this would punish the rest of the team (read his coaching record) is pathetic.
The club's heavy drinking culture needs outside intervention because those inside it can't see, or don't want to know about, the problem. If it is too difficult for the franchise to attract players to the west, or even more tellingly invoke any discipline, then perhaps they shouldn't be in the competition.
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/wild-west-has-plenty-of-sand-to-bury-heads/2008/02/12/1202760297979.html
Kick them out. Easily the biggest scum team in the whole competition, and that includes my sheer loathing of the Waratards.
Jacquelin Magnay
THE Western Force are the club that initially tried to cover up the disturbing "quokka shocker" animal cruelty of Scott Fava and Richard Brown.
The same club that was part of a secret $15,000 payment, after which a 2004 South African complaint of assault against Matt Henjak went away and assault charges were dropped. A club that so fiercely protects its players that allegations that Henjak assaulted the former chief executive's son and, in another incident, offended a woman, were dealt with internally. A club that has denied that there was another alleged assault on a club employee by players, including Henjak.
This is the same club that lured players to the west with secret illegal deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is the wild, wild west. So it is not surprising to learn the Force have taken no action - indeed they have been complicit in trying to play down the ugly behaviour of Henjak and teammate Haig Sare. The WA police are not involved, and they say they are powerless to investigate unless a complaint is made. And one of the men involved, Sare, can't talk at the moment for his jaw is wired.
In the latest incident, Henjak and Sare, who was expected to start the season opener against the Sharks in South Africa on Saturday morning Sydney time, took to each other in the men's toilets of the The Left Bank in Fremantle last Sunday. Henjak was left with injuries to his left arm, deep scratches to his neck and a fat ear.
Sare suffered a broken jaw - identified only when he saw the club doctor on Monday morning. By that afternoon he was on the operating table and had a plate inserted. The Force tried their old trick - the cover-up. They named both Henjak and Sare in their touring team leaving yesterday, knowing Sare would be out at least three months.
After persistence from the Herald and The West Australian newspaper, which coincidentally had planned a feature on Sare, the club issued a press release claiming there was an "altercation". The Force refused to name the players. The newly installed chief executive, Mitch Hardy wouldn't talk to anyone. The chairman, Geoff Stooke, was in hospital for his own private tests.
The club spokesman was saying Hardy and Stooke would conduct an internal review. Now the club says it will take a couple of weeks of investigation from a disciplinary committee before any action is taken. Does anyone else predict a wet lettuce leaf slap on the wrist? Hardy says player contracts are on the line, but they were on the line throughout a handful of "incidents" in the past two years.
The club believes it can handle this drama without any public scrutiny because no one from the public was involved. Wrong.
The club, its players and coaches, like all other ARU clubs, are under the routine radar of the Australian Taxation Office. Some players are still being looked at by a joint task force of the NSW and WA police. The club's major sponsor, Emirates, only reluctantly, and with promises of reform about player behaviour and the club culture, continued its association late last year.
There is a simmering tension that threatens to explode and destroy the franchise. Yesterday coach John Mitchell misread the mood, perhaps thinking the ARU's indulgence of past behaviours would continue. His statement that Henjak won't be sidelined as this would punish the rest of the team (read his coaching record) is pathetic.
The club's heavy drinking culture needs outside intervention because those inside it can't see, or don't want to know about, the problem. If it is too difficult for the franchise to attract players to the west, or even more tellingly invoke any discipline, then perhaps they shouldn't be in the competition.
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/wild-west-has-plenty-of-sand-to-bury-heads/2008/02/12/1202760297979.html
Kick them out. Easily the biggest scum team in the whole competition, and that includes my sheer loathing of the Waratards.
