Canterbury players Adam Elliott and Asipeli Fine were charged by police with wilful and obscene exposure on Thursday after $320,000 of fines were meted out by the NRL and the Bulldogs over the club’s Mad Monday celebrations.
As Bulldogs players, officials and staff arrived at their end-of-season awards at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday night, the spotlight was on them for all the wrong reasons. The naked antics of Elliott and Fine at the Harbour View Hotel in The Rocks three nights earlier have resulted in court appearances next month while they were both slapped with $25,000 fines by Canterbury ($10,000 suspended).
A third player, Zac Woolford, received an infringement notice from police for ‘‘offensive conduct’’ while the licensee of the pub was hit with five penalty notices.
The NRL had earlier come down heavily on the Bulldogs with a record $250,000 fine while the Bulldogs fined Marcelo Montoya $10,000 ($5000 suspended) and Woolford $10,000 ($5000 suspended) as well as Elliott and Fine, who are due to front Downing Centre court on October 24.
The latest drama has raised questions over whether Mad Monday has a place in rugby league. Asked if the Bulldogs had just experienced their last Mad Monday, Canterbury CEO Andrew Hill replied: “We will review our processes. It’s fair to say it’s highly unlikely that post-season celebrations such as what occurred on Monday will happen again.”
The NRL’s fine is the largest ever handed down for player misbehaviour. The Bulldogs have five days to respond to a breach notice and are likely to argue against the severity of the fine as part of their response.
“While the club is disappointed by the severity of this fine, the images and behaviours on the day were unacceptable and a poor reflection of both the club and the game,” Hill said.
“The club will now hold a review and put steps in place to make sure this situation never happens again.
The Daily Telegraph splashed images of players dancing in the nude and vomiting across its pages this week as festivities spiralled out of control. Coach Dean Pay and football general manager Gareth Holmes were present at the Harbour View Hotel at The Rocks, where forwards Elliott and Fine stripped their clothes to the tune of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
Three of the players are under police investigation for their role in an incident that has overshadowed the build up to the opening week of the finals.
While the club has hit four players in the hip pocket, the officials in attendance have escaped without punishment.
“This is about a breach of the code of conduct for those who have breached it, which is those four players,” Hill said.
Hill said would work through how the NRL came to the $250,000 figure as it works through its response to the breach notice.
“The club accepts the images and the behaviour from the team get-together on Monday was unacceptable and an extremely bad look for the game,” he said.
“As a result of those actions, the police are continuing their investigation into the behaviour of a number of players on the day.
“These are good people who have acted in an immature and juvenile way.
“They have accepted responsibility for their actions and have apologised to the club for their behaviour.
“The club will now work with them from an education and welfare point of view and we will continue to support our players through this time.”
Hill conceded the dramas had overshadowed a reasonably strong end to the season.
“Absolutely, the last six weeks have been very positive for the club,” he said.
