Hot on the heels of three Carlton players allegedly becoming involved in drunken behaviour over the weekend, Richmond has also been rocked by players breaking team rules.
Ezra Poyas, Rory Hilton and Steven Sziller have been internally censured by the club, and face possible suspension, after being found to have consumed numerous bottles of mineral water at the Tigers Family Fun Day at Punt Road on St Patrick's Day.
Witnesses reported the Tiger trio drinking steadily from the plastic bottles, which contained clear, uncarbonated liquid and were marked "Natural Mineral Water". Attempts by club elder statesmen Wayne Campbell and Brendon Gale to get Poyas, Hilton and Sziller onto "more appropriate substances" were unsuccessful, as each declined the crate of Crown Lager offered to them by the Tiger leaders.
At a press conference yesterday, Richmond president Clinton Casey was outraged at the trio's behaviour. "We're trying to create a culture at this club, to recreate the successful atmosphere of the sixties and seventies. To do that, we need our full senior list to be paralytic, and preferably abusive and violent, at all times."
"These boys know the rules, we've had Nick Daffy and Brad Ottens take the whole senior list through a vigorous training campaign, and now we find three blokes think they're outside those rules. Well, it's not good enough."
"Cheers!" Casey added, as he ripped the top off a coldie and prepared to drink it.
While the press conference was conducted, the full board of the Richmond Football Club met, and unanimously passed a motion for Casey to scull the drink. Casey complied, consuming the bottle's contents in one mouthful and then slamming the empty onto the desk on which reporters' microphones were placed, showering nearby journalists with glass.
"Are you looking at me? Are ya?! I'll 'ave ya!" Casey said as the press conference closed.
Ezra Poyas, Rory Hilton and Steven Sziller have been internally censured by the club, and face possible suspension, after being found to have consumed numerous bottles of mineral water at the Tigers Family Fun Day at Punt Road on St Patrick's Day.
Witnesses reported the Tiger trio drinking steadily from the plastic bottles, which contained clear, uncarbonated liquid and were marked "Natural Mineral Water". Attempts by club elder statesmen Wayne Campbell and Brendon Gale to get Poyas, Hilton and Sziller onto "more appropriate substances" were unsuccessful, as each declined the crate of Crown Lager offered to them by the Tiger leaders.
At a press conference yesterday, Richmond president Clinton Casey was outraged at the trio's behaviour. "We're trying to create a culture at this club, to recreate the successful atmosphere of the sixties and seventies. To do that, we need our full senior list to be paralytic, and preferably abusive and violent, at all times."
"These boys know the rules, we've had Nick Daffy and Brad Ottens take the whole senior list through a vigorous training campaign, and now we find three blokes think they're outside those rules. Well, it's not good enough."
"Cheers!" Casey added, as he ripped the top off a coldie and prepared to drink it.
While the press conference was conducted, the full board of the Richmond Football Club met, and unanimously passed a motion for Casey to scull the drink. Casey complied, consuming the bottle's contents in one mouthful and then slamming the empty onto the desk on which reporters' microphones were placed, showering nearby journalists with glass.
"Are you looking at me? Are ya?! I'll 'ave ya!" Casey said as the press conference closed.
