Mammoth cost of Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter’s car crash revealed
Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter is facing a dramatic financial fallout from his allegedly boozed-up car crash, as the vice-captain prepares for a multi-game ban from his club. Here’s what the bill could total.
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Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter will face a dramatic financial fallout including $150,000 in damages as he prepares for a multi-game ban from his club.
Hunter’s disastrous decision to drive to teammate Billy Gowers’ place after a fight with his partner could see him hit with a huge financial toll on top of 70 per cent pay cuts to AFL players in coming months.
Hunter is set to be charged with drink-driving after hitting four cars in Middle Park on the way to Gowers’ house.
The Herald Sun understands he will not contest that charge, which will see him lose his insurance cover and pay the repair bill of up to $150,000
He has already been fined $1652 for breaching stay-at-home rules and is set to be hit with the maximum AFL penalty of $5000 for his conduct.
Those AFL pay cuts could exceed $150,000 for players of Hunter’s calibre, so the combined cost from the AFL pay cuts and damage to four luxury cars could top $300,000.
The Bulldogs will continue their investigation into Hunter on Monday, which could see him lose his leadership role and be suspended by the club for a set number of games.
The Dogs are determined to nail down the exact timeline, including why he left the scene of the crime and whether he was aware police were about to arrive.
They will then have to weigh the number of games he will miss through internal suspension with the truncated nature of a season, with only 16 home-and-away games remaining.
Second-year teammate Bailey Smith, 19, drove Hunter to Gowers home and was on Saturday hit with a $1652 police fine for his part in the incident.
Gowers escaped with a warning, with Hunter’s decision to involve Smith despite it breaking social distancing laws set to be looked on dimly given his stature and Smith’s relative inexperience.
Smith was only on the scene because the car of his girlfriend’s parents was among the four Hunter crashed into.
Dual Bulldogs All Australian Nathan Brown said yesterday Hunter should volunteer to hand over the vice-captaincy so new captain Marcus Bontempelli is not forced into taking it off him.
One-game captain Bontempelli is set to decide Hunter’s fate alongside footy boss Chris Grant and coach Luke Beveridge, with that decision to be rubber-stamped by the Dogs board.
“Everyone you speak to down there says Lachie is a great fella, he is a great footballer and he is very popular. But he has lacked leadership in this instance,” Brown told Nine.
“Before he is taken out of the vice captaincy, maybe go to the club and say, ”I have done the wrong thing. I will give up the vice captaincy without it being a witch hunt, without ‘Bont’ having to make the decision or the coach making the decision”.
“The best thing Lachie could do is say, “I am going to give up the vice captaincy.”
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LACHIE HUNTER’S DRAMATIC HOURS BEFORE ALLEGED CRASH
DOUG HAWKINS URGES BULLDOGS NOT TO STRIP HUNTER OF ROLE
LACHIE HUNTER SMASH THE MISTAKE THE AFL WAS DREADING
Originally published as Mammoth cost of Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter’s car crash revealed