Connors 8 weeks suspension, McGuane, Cuz, Polo cop 1 week for Sydney Hotel misbehaviour

[jackstar is back again]

MT.
The team manager or someone should of been overseeing the situation.
He still wasnt in his room at 4.00am

[Ramps]

rumour that Hardwick sprayed em seems to be true, well done to him, no more stuffen around at punt road.

[one-eyed]

Richmond makes bold statement in suspending players in lead up to game
Mike Sheahan
Herald Sun
April 13, 2010

RICHMOND made a bold, jolting statement to its players, suspending four in the week leading to the game seen as its best chance of scoring a win in 2010.

The Tigers suspended Daniel Connors for eight weeks and three others, including Ben Cousins, for one game - Sunday's MCG clash with Melbourne.

The crackdown comes after an investigation into alleged player misbehaviour at the team's Sydney hotel after Saturday night's loss to the Swans.

It follows the suspension of recruit Relton Roberts for one match for misbehaviour after his debut in Round 1.

It is a sign the administration, led by Brendon Gale and Craig Cameron, and new coach Damien Hardwick, plans to build a new culture at the AFL's worst-performed club of the past 25 years.

The call on Connors comes as no surprise as he has a history of alcohol-related problems; the call on Cousins, though, could have major ramifications.

He, Luke McGuane and Dean Polo were cleared of being intoxicated, but were deemed not to have acted responsibly during Connors' "unsociable behaviour".

The suspension raises the question of his future yet again. He is only three months away from his 32nd birthday and a mere shadow of the player he was at West Coast. Yet, he remains among Richmond's best half-dozen and wants to play on. Certainly this year.

He was the oldest player by eight years in Saturday night's shenanigans, and, therefore, seen to be the one who should have brought Connors under control. Or called in club officials.

Unofficial reports say Cousins tried to restrain the youngster, but to no avail.

The problem for the quartet is that Richmond had suffered another heavy loss - 55 points - with no cause for celebration, with a game eight days away.

The secondary problem is the players were representing the club interstate and recognisable, Cousins, anyway.

A couple of beers is one thing, but house guests at good hotels don't like being woken up in the middle of the night, particularly top-level athletes with engagements the following day.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/richmond-makes-bold-statement-in-suspending-players-in-lead-up-to-game/story-e6frf7jo-1225852931597

[torch]

Ben Cousins punched drunken teammate Daniel Connors in Sydney fracas
Michael Warner, Aaron Langmaid
Herald Sun
April 13, 2010

BEN Cousins punched a drunken Richmond teammate in the face while trying to restrain him during a boozy night out.

Cousins, Dean Polo and Luke McGuane were stood down for a week while youngster Daniel Connors, the cause of Saturday night's ruckus, copped a massive eight-week ban.

Were the Tigers too tough? Have your say in the comments below

Seething Richmond officials said the group's conduct during a rowdy gathering at the team hotel in Sydney on Saturday night was "unacceptable".

Cousins, 31, was among a group of players seen drinking at the Intercontinental Hotel bar between 11.30pm and 1am.

A handful of Tigers then shifted the party to an upstairs room where a drunken Connors was seen arguing with Cousins, Polo and McGuane in a corridor at 3am.

The trio are believed to have tried to restrain Connors, with Cousins giving him a black eye.

Hotel guests complained about the wild showdown in the corridor.

A club insider said Connors was being "loud, obnoxious and aggressive".

It comes just days after high-profile player manager Ricky Olarenshaw claimed Cousins, who is a recovering drug addict, had again "lost his way".

The club recently rejected a report that Cousins had been warned to curb his drinking.

Long-suffering Tigers fans reacted furiously to revelations the team was at the bar after Saturday night's 55-point thrashing by the Swans.

Richmond has lost its opening three games by a combined 183 points to become the AFL's laughing stock.

New coach Damien Hardwick delivered a fearful spray to the club's entire playing list yesterday.

Connors, 21, who has been in trouble before because of his drunken antics, admitted to a drinking problem.

"I am extremely disappointed in my actions and I regret the stupid decisions I made on the night," he said.

"I apologise to all Richmond members, teammates, club officials and guests at the Intercontinental Hotel, who were subjected to my behaviour.

"Over the next few weeks I will be doing everything I can to win back the respect of those who I have let down.

"This has been a massive wake-up call for me and I accept that I have a problem with alcohol, which I need to address."

Connors cannot train at the club for the first six weeks of his suspension and must undergo alcohol counselling indefinitely.

Richmond football manager Craig Cameron said Cousins, Polo and McGuane were not intoxicated but failed to act responsibly.

"The Richmond Football Club will not tolerate the behaviour shown by these players, and has acted accordingly," Cameron said. "These actions go against all the values that we set for ourselves as a club."

Furious fans called on the league's worst team to spend less time partying and more time on their game.

"This is so disappointing for fans," cheer squad president David Norman said.

"The last thing we need is to have players in the best 22, out of action because of something stupid they did off the field.

"It's hard enough if they have an injury or if they do something dumb like belt somebody during a game.

"You name the average 23-year-old who is getting the sort of money these guys are? It's a joke."

Sydney police said they had not received a complaint.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/ben-cousins-punched-drunken-teammate-daniel-connors-in-sydney-fracas/story-e6frf7jo-1225852936687

I WANT TO HEAR IT!

 

[mightytiges]

MT.
The team manager or someone should of been overseeing the situation.
He still wasnt in his room at 4.00am

They're not little kids on a school camp Jack. They are meant to be grown adults who know and understand the rules in place. To become a proper professional footballer you need self-discipline and self-dedication. You don't have a nanny on and off-field with you 24/7. Dan has himself and only himself to blame as he started it all by getting smashed in the first place on saturday night/sunday morning. Apart from the obvious misbehaviourial issues he would have been told from the time he walked into the club that alcohol especially excessive alcohol in your system affects your recovery and hence puts you at a greater risk of injury. As Ramps said he's very lucky not to have his contract ripped up in front of him yesterday and instead has been given one final chance to get off the booze for good and decide once and for all if he wants to be an AFL footballer. If not then he can join the many talented bush players running around in local comps and drink to his heart's content.

[one-eyed]

Richmond acts on player brawl
MICHAEL GLEESON AND JAKE NIALL
April 13, 2010

DRUNKEN Richmond player Daniel Connors fought with teammates during an ugly early morning rampage, which has seen him suspended for eight matches and three of his teammates, including Ben Cousins, banned for a game each.

Connors' drunken escapade in which he fought with Cousins, Luke McGuane and Dean Polo, included him smashing his head on a toilet seat and waking up and upsetting hotel guests.

Richmond is understood to have seriously considered sacking the 21-year-old defender for his outrageous night. He has priors at the club for unseemly drunkenness at club functions including last year's best and fairest award.

Cousins, McGuane and Polo were all suspended for a match by the club for not showing sufficient leadership in stopping the escalating events sooner. McGuane and Polo also arrived late to the club's recovery session.

Connors was sporting a black eye after the early morning fracas - most of which occurred after 4am - though it is unclear whether he sustained the sore eye in the fight with teammates or when he smashed the toilet seat in his room. He has been told to pay for a new toilet seat.

He was still drunk or at least showing the effects of a bad hangover at the recovery session at Coogee beach.

The incidents occurred at Sydney's Intercontinental Hotel, where the team was staying after the match with the Swans. Some players and officials gathered for a drink in the hotel foyer after the game and Connors later became drunk, loud and abusive. Other guests staying in the hotel, including international athletes preparing to compete in the World Triathlon Championships the next day, complained of being disturbed.

The bar shut at 1am but some players stayed in the lobby to talk. It is understood Connors continued drinking using the stock from his hotel room minibar.

With Connors causing a ruckus downstairs in the foyer, two of his teammates went to collect him and took him upstairs. He then fought with the trio when he refused to go to his room.

Richmond's leadership group has handed down the suspensions to the four players after a club investigation into the misbehaviour.

The new coach Damien Hardwick, CEO Brendon Gale and general manager Craig Cameron are determined to establish higher standards of discipline and stamp their authority on what they see as an impressionable young list. Connors was suspended for ''unsociable behaviour, which included being intoxicated''.

He will not be permitted to train at the club for the next six weeks and will be required to attend alcohol counselling once a week for an indefinite period.

McGuane, Polo and Cousins were said not to have been drunk but a club statement said ''the trio was deemed to have not acted responsibly or in a manner expected of them by the club''.

"The Richmond Football Club will not tolerate the behaviour shown by these players, and has acted accordingly. These actions go against all the values that we set for ourselves as a club," Richmond general manager of football Craig Cameron said.

Connors admitted that he had a problem with alcohol and accepted his punishment.

''I am extremely disappointed in my actions and I regret the stupid decisions I made on the night. I apologise to all Richmond members and supporters, my teammates, club officials and the guests at the Intercontinental Hotel, who were subjected to my behaviour.

"Over the next few weeks I will be doing everything I can to win back the respect of those who I have let down.

"This has been a massive wake-up call for me and I accept that I have a problem with alcohol which I need to address.''

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-acts-on-player-brawl-20100412-s44e.html

[jackstar is back again]

Connors should come to an agreement with the club and walk.

[eliminator]

It is a young list. The club had to send a message to the other players that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated. Agree with the comments about the culture at the club. Daniel will be facing an uphill struggle to stay at the club. Hopefully the spray by Hardwick will fire up the players for a big one against Melbourne.

[WilliamPowell]

Good editorial by Gleeson - very balanced and on the money 

Punishment fits the crime for a young Tiger with prior convictions

MICHAEL GLEESON
April 13, 2010
 
DANIEL Connors is a fringe player in a poor side and seemingly an easy scapegoat for a new coach to make a big statement.

But Daniel Connors is not the player to feel aggrieved.

While there is a disparity in serving a longer club suspension than Mathew Stokes drew from his club for being in possession of cocaine, Connors has no cause for complaint.

He was not only blind drunk, loud and obnoxious, he also has a black eye possibly sustained in the brawl he had with his three teammates who are also now suspended, or possibly when he broke his hotel room toilet bowl.

The players who should feel most aggrieved by Punt Road justice are Dean Polo, Luke McGuane and Ben Cousins, the trio who packed the drunk Connors off to bed. Unfortunately he was not so easily persuaded and returned to the lobby throwing punches when they again tried to convince him he had had enough.

McGuane and Polo slept in and were late to the recovery session at Coogee beach the next morning so they have been given a week's suspension. It was a recovery session where Connors was far from recovered, still obviously either drunk or hungover.

Cousins has been banned for not protesting hard enough, early enough, to his teammate's behaviour. This was arguably the harshest penalty of all for Cousins is clearly battling on-going issues of self-control without being held responsible for managing the misbehaviour of others.

Connors has an unhealthy rap sheet at Richmond having been drunk and embarrassing at last year's best-and-fairest award. So eight weeks suddenly does not seem so steep a punishment.

Indeed, there were those at Punt Road who wondered if Connors should not be sacked.

Connors has unashamedly been made an example of by Richmond and for good reason.

Richmond is in such a lamentably poor state at the moment that this was the right moment to make a statement as shrilly as the drunken brawling in the Intercontinental Hotel.

Players had been told pre-season that the club would not tolerate moronic behaviour. Only weeks ago all players and officials sat in the change rooms and embraced the ambitious plan for playing finals three times in the next five years on their way to also winning three flags in 10 years.

The players signed up to do what it took to get there.

Suffice it to say, Saturday night was not part of that plan.

Irrespective of the fact Richmond confronts Melbourne this week - one of the few sides it would reckon on being a chance to defeat - the prospect of a rare victory being jeopardised by the suspensions is irrelevant.

Like cutting a list of its dead wood, a coach never gets a better chance than in his first year: cut deep and cut early. Damien Hardwick is doing at Richmond what Alastair Clarkson did at Hawthorn (Luke Hodge was suspended after missing a recovery session) and Dean Bailey did at Melbourne (suspending Col Sylvia and Aaron Davey) in taking the hard stand with a young group and amplifying a message to get through even the thickest heads, young and old.

It was not because Connors was a fringe player that he got eight weeks. It was that he was a repeat offender.

Furthermore there are few players at Richmond who are not fringe players.

The state of its list means it would not have mattered - the same message would be sent.



http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/punishment-fits-the-crime-for-a-young-tiger-with-prior-convictions-20100412-s44h.html

[wayne]

Connors should come to an agreement with the club and walk.

I think 8 weeks is good.

If he comes back in ripping shape and hasn't touched a drop in that time, he may have realised how lucky he is to have a chance to play AFL.

If he comes back and hasn't changed, then he gets the chop.

[wayne again]

Richmond's leadership group has handed down the suspensions to the four players after a club investigation into the misbehaviour.

They failed there team mate here, 8 weeks is a joke 4 is enough.
 Young leadership group will make these over the top decisions though.
4 weeks and a almighty spray from Hardwick should have been enough IMO.
Anyway it will give others a chance next week.

[cub]

Short term pain - Long term gain.
It's a new beginning 'clean slate' at Tigerland if you will - It's gunna be a rough trip for a while, lets hope we make it out the other end.

[Tigermonk]

This is a bullsh1t thread. I am sick and tired ofpeople moralizing about 20 yo men. Get over yourselves. It's a pretty poo world when it looks like people actually enjoy teeing off at players for whatever reason. Love to see what you angels get up to at night behind closed doors.

l count my money 

[Tigermonk]

Connors always has had a problem with his attitude. Struggled to follow game plans, structures, do the the team thing over seeking individual glory. Everyone can see the talent this guy has, skill, unpredictability but without the correct temperament and discipline this will never be realized. Eight weeks is as much about slapping him into line and building up the base he needs. If he doesn't fall into line now he is gone - no more chances that is obvious. In addition this is a huge message to the rest of the list - the club and team or the road.

Out of Cousins, Polo and McGuane, McGuane will be the biggest loss this weekend. He is our defense.

Stripes

spot on 

[Tigermonk]

After reading all the media reports I think the club should have sacked Conners. Theres no point in keeping him, you cant help a kid who doesnt want to help himself.

exactly