Following comments from a number of Knights fans the club would like to release the following statement regarding last Friday's events which resulted in five players and our Director of Rugby been suspended. As reported in the Press the incident took place in the Executive Suite at Headingley on Friday night prior to, during and following the Rhinos match against Bradford. As a key partner of the Rhinos the Knights have been given a table of corporate hospitality at all Leeds Rhinos home games for the next three seasons. As a reward for the players we allocated this game to them and allowed them to raise money for the players fund by running a competition for supporters, hence the six Knights fans that attended with the players and staff. The Rhinos charge more than £1,000 per match for a table in this category of hospitality and have hundreds of groups of people attending their matches every year. Four different corporate guests complained about the behaviour and conduct of the Knights table as well as the lady doing the after match speeches. In addition to this the derogatory comments written on the table cloth and comments during the game itself are also completely out of order and unacceptable. The Rhinos have only ever had two complaints about the conduct of their guests of which the Knights are one of them. The Knights partnership with the Rhinos is worth tens of thousands of pounds every year and is one that the club cannot afford to loose. The players and staff were complimentary guests of the Rhinos the behaviour of the Knights table was extremely unprofessional, even more so when the party included senior players and coaching staff. The players and staff have let the club down, team mates and supporters and we had no alternative but to take action. The club now consider this matter closed and will not make any further comment.
We read something in Rugby League Express today which amused us.Paul March confirms he will be leaving York and he reckons the other suspended players will follow, have we all misjudged him perhaps he thinks he is Robin Hood with his merry men.
OLDHAM have sacked club captain Robert Roberts for unspecified disciplinary reasons.
No comment is being made publicly by the club on the reasoning behind the decision, which is believed to relate to an incident which happened towards the end of last week.
However, it isn’t thought to be the first time the 29-year-old Wales international has teetered close to the line of acceptability in terms of behaviour in recent months.
Roberts has had a chequered career and it is the third time he has suffered such a fate following incidents at Huddersfield in 2003 and at Leigh four years later, the latter preceding a move to the Roughyeds to play under his former coach at Keighley, Steve Deakin.
At the time, Oldham chief executive Chris Hamilton revealed that the fiery character had been made fully aware of the need to abide by the club’s code of conduct.
“Expectations on and off the pitch have been made very clear to him and he fully understands what is expected,” Mr Hamilton had said, of a talented player who went on to be such a vital pack leader as the Roughyeds reached play-off finals in consecutive seasons.
Roberts, who last month had a public spat with chairman Bill Quinn after a Challenge Cup defeat at Gateshead, had been out of action with a knee injury of late.
Praised for the work he had done in helping spread the rugby league gospel in local schools, he nonetheless becomes the second player to fall foul of club disciplinary rules this season.
Daryl Cardiss was dismissed for similarly unspecified reasons less than two months after signing a new contract late last year.
Roberts’ dismissal could lead to the club seeking to recruit a direct replacement in the second row, with Mr Hamilton admitting “it is an option”.
Meanwhile, Roughyeds centre or full-back Paul Reilly is set to see a specialist over his twice-broken nose, with a protective facial guard one possibility to prevent him sustaining further injury.
Danny Halliwell, sent off for punching at Workington yesterday, will find out a week tomorrow if he is to pick up an RFL suspension for his actions.
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