Port Adelaide leadership group waits on AFL investigation to end on Sam Powell-Pepper
PORT Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper is awaiting AFL, club and team leadership judgments on his breach of team rules at the weekend.
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“RATTLED” Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper will be sanctioned by his teammates after — and not before — an AFL investigation on his behaviour at an Adelaide nightclub at the weekend.
This is despite Power team leader Brad Ebert noting Powell-Pepper has admitted to breaching team rules by ignoring a 2am curfew and drinking beyond the club’s limits after the win against Brisbane on Saturday.
The AFL and Port Adelaide is expected on Tuesday afternoon to deal with the allegations made by a woman claiming 20-year-old Powell-Pepper assaulted her at Hindley Street nightclub on Sunday morning.
Powell-Pepper is expected to be banned by the leadership group from Sunday’s round four clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium. But the full extent of the team sanction will rest on the AFL and club findings on Tuesday afternoon.
Ebert described Powell-Pepper, who has trained at Alberton on Tuesday morning, as “rattled by the whole thing”. But Ebert dismisses the Power has a culture issue among its player group after Powell-Pepper became the fourth player in less than 12 months to make off-field headlines.
Ebert revealed Powell-Pepper fronted the player group on Monday to confess to his breach of team rules.
‘Until we know the full extent of the situation, we can’t go handing out punishments or anything like that,” Ebert said.
“Obviously, we are disappointed with him breaking team rules around being out at that time. But until we know the full extent of everything we will leave it and make the call later in the week.
“As a leadership group we don’t want to go assuming ...”
Ebert revealed the playing group’s disappointment in Powell-Pepper.
“As a group we try to do the right thing — as a person and for the club,” he said.
“‘Peps’ broke the team rules ... but we are not 100 per cent sure on the extent of what happened. Once the facts are out we can start (determining a penalty).
“He was out pretty late. We say 2 o’clock, you should be making your way home. He was out past that time. And the amount of alcohol. He said he had a few drinks. We understand you can have a few drinks but not go overboard.”
Port Adelaide has had former defender Jackson Trengove (now at the Western Bulldogs), All-Australian ruckman Patrick Ryder, former utility Nathan Krakouer (now in community football) and Powell-Pepper involved in off-field issues in the past year. Trengove and Ryder were cleared of any wrongdoing.
“I’m sure you can ask the question around (the team culture),” Ebert said. “But when you look at those incidents, both times (with Trengove and Ryder) it ends up being that the players were not really in the wrong.
“So to say the culture is an issue, I disagree with.
“As a group we are pretty strong — and uphold a strong set of values and standards. I don’t believe this is a culture issue.”
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au
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