IF you were a St George Illawarra Dragons fan, you’d have a right to be disillusioned.
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If the club isn’t yet in crisis point, it must be damn close.
An off-field incident involving some of the club’s players during a drunken night on the town was not the catalyst, but it’s the salt in the open wound.
At 2 pm on Tuesday, the Dragons put out the following statement _
The St George Illawarra Dragons have determined to stand-down contracted players Siliva Havili and Tim Lafai, effective immediately and until further notice, from all Club activities, for breaching the Club’s Code of Conduct.
The Club has been advised that both Havili and Lafai have been charged with affray and offensive behaviour by police, following an incident which occurred in Wollongong on Sunday morning.
The NRL Integrity Unit has been informed and the Club has arranged counselling for both players.
The matter is to be considered by Courts system and as such, the Club will not be making any further comment, at this time.
Yet where has the same commitment and public message been in addressing the other issues facing the club?
Those issues, which are outlined on the front page, are arguably of far greater concern but haven’t really been publicly addressed.
Issues like the major debt around the club’s neck, the heavily criticised stadium deal and a lingering question of the club’s future direction all remain largely unanswered.
The closest fans have gotten is an open letter from Dragons CEO Peter Doust (pictured) earlier in the year.
The letter certainly acknowledged the issues facing the club but did little other than offer some reassurances that the Dragons were “actively working towards improvement”.
It’s time Dragons fans got some greater reassurance.
It’s time they were given some confidence this club has a strong vision and a detailed plan for not only continuing in the NRL but regaining a place as a powerful player within the league.
Someone needs to come out and reassure fans and the people of Wollongong they have this situation in hand because currently it looks like things are out of control both on and off the field.
