Joe Ofahengaue faces benching after alleged driving charge
Brisbane hierarchy are privately livid with prop Joe Ofahengaue after a run in with the law that could see him miss the start of the NRL season. PLUS, Mitch Pearce’s very poor choice of words.
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Broncos prop Joe Ofahengaue’s run-ins with the law are in danger of costing him a spot in Brisbane’s Round 1 team.
Blindside can reveal the Broncos are privately livid with Ofahengaue after he was charged by police over the weekend for an alleged alcohol-related traffic offence.
Ofahengaue, 24, has been charged with being in charge of a motor vehicle when over the middle alcohol limit. He was alleged to have recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.136.
He will appear in Ipswich Magistrates Court on February 12, two days before the Broncos begin their pre-season campaign in the Perth Nines.
The Broncos will not decide any potential sanction for Ofahengaue until after his court date.
In isolation, Ofahengaue’s alleged offence could be considered minor given he was not driving the car at the time after falling asleep inside it with the engine turned on.
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But the Broncos are fed up with his behaviour following multiple police-related issues.
In 2016, Ofahengaue was caught driving with a suspended licence and the following year he was embroiled in a casino cheating scandal which saw him banned from Treasury Casino for a year.
He was back in court again in 2018 after returning to the casino without seeking permission to be allowed entry again.
On a scale of NRL atrocities, Ofahengaue’s are near the bottom end, but his behaviour has been sloppy at best and it may now come back to bite him.
The Broncos are weighing up potential sanctions and that may include suspending him from the blockbuster season-opener against the Cowboys on March 13 at the new Townsville Stadium.
NO SIGN OF SKIPPER
ALEX Glenn may be the captain of the Brisbane Broncos but he can’t even make it on to the club’s website.
Glenn’s photograph has been missing from the club’s player profiles for at least a week.
The Broncos have been in the process of getting the profiles updated by the NRL, who control that part of the website, after having fresh headshots taken recently.
POOR CHOICE OF WORDS
NEWCASTLE Knights star Mitchell Pearce was the centre of an awkward social media gaffe this week.
On the day NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident, Pearce took to Instagram to post a motivational quote.
“Those who died yesterday had plans for today,” the quote read.
“And those who died this morning had plans for tonight. Don’t take life for granted. In the blink of an eye anything can change.”
The quote was attributed to late Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
Pearce’s followers were quick to point out the source of the quote and within hours the post had been deleted.
BELLYACHE WORKS OUT
MELBOURNE Storm coach Craig Bellamy was spotted pumping iron on the Gold Coast this week.
Bellamy was at World Gym in Burleigh on Wednesday morning completing a sweaty session with his daughter.
The Storm held an intense two-week training camp in Geelong over the past fortnight and Bellamy was able to get away to Queensland for a quick break after it.
The super coach has family on the Gold Coast and is a regular visitor to the Sunshine State.
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