Whitsunday Brahmans say convicted rapist Patrick Akauola was ‘far from a star’ of their club

The Whitsunday Brahmans have distanced themselves from convicted rapist Patrick Akauola saying they are ‘disgusted and disappointed’ by his conduct, which is a far cry from the true culture of their club.

A volunteer-driven Whitsunday rugby league club has defended its name after a former player was jailed for a heinous crime.

The Whitsunday Brahmans were “disgusted and disappointed” to learn that 2020 signing Patrick Akauola was convicted of rape this week, with the committee maintaining the 24 year old’s conduct in no way reflected the culture of the century-old club.

Club secretary and former player Bryce Fraser clarified Akauola played just two trial games for the Brahmans last year, then left town when Covid-19 forced a premature end to the season.

Bryce Fraser, pictured far left, says a more accurate reflection of the Brahmans' culture can be found in committee president and treasurer Mick and Marlene Malone – two 'absolute stalwarts' who've contributed about 20 years to keeping the club going strong. They are pictured receiving their recent Les Stagg Oval grandstand dedication, with 2021 head coach Adam Crear. Picture: Supplied

Mr Fraser said the “blow in’s” time on the Brahmans’ list was so brief and insignificant, many of the current players and even some of the coaching staff had forgotten about it, such as long-time player Matt Lade who called Akauola “an absolute grub” for his crime but added he did not remember him “ever being there [at the club]”.

“He barely spent two months in the town – he didn’t even play a seasonal game,” Mr Fraser said.

The Brahmans are proud to claim ‘one of the best home crowds in the comp’ with close to 1000 supporters regularly turning out to cheer them on at Proserpine’s Les Stagg Oval. Pictured: Patrick, Selena, Rob and Heidee Daly.

Mr Fraser said The Brahmans were pleased to see Akauola getting “dealt with to the letter of the law” for his crime, but said recent media reports linking the Brisbane rape trial with the Proserpine-based club “couldn’t have come at a worse time”, with potential 2022 season sponsors now thinking twice about signing on.

“I always say, we’re a ‘chook raffle’ club – we survive on raffles and sponsors rather than pokies or a clubhouse sort of thing”, Mr Fraser explained.

“This time of year, we’re in the middle of talking to sponsors, and now the ones that were on the fence are pulling out.”

The Brahmans put the call out for players for a senior women’s side in addition to their three men’s teams every season.

Mr Fraser said the Brahmans were proud of their reputation as an inclusive, family-oriented club and hoped many of their positive contributions to the community – such as mentoring junior players, encouraging women’s participation, maintaining top-quality public facilities, and supporting young families to move and settle in the area – would not be forgotten in the midst of a controversy with “a very, very weak link” to the dedicated Whitsunday players and committee.

“A big thing in our club is respect”, Mr Fraser said.

“Whether that’s respect for the coach, the rest of your team, your supporters, or your committee – we’ve always been a club built on that, and that’s why it’s a great place to be.

As well as their strong ties to the community, the Brahmans have shown great strengths on the field, claiming three premierships in the past six years and producing NRL stars including Shane Wright, Kai O’Donnell, Travis Waddell, and the legendary Paul Bowman. Pictured: The 2020 reserves premiership-winning side.