Josh Jackson defends Bulldogs culture after Jayden Okunbor, Corey Harawira-Naera scandal

Canterbury veterans Josh Jackson and Aiden Tolman have expressed their disappointment at the actions of Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harawira-Naera saying the duo had let down the club and fans.

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Canterbury Bulldogs skipper Josh Jackson has defended the club’s culture as Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harawira-Naera respond to the NRL’s breach notices.

With the game’s powerbrokers tied-up dealing with the ramifications of the coronavirus, Okunbor and Harawira-Naera could be waiting until next week before the NRL hands down its final decision on their respective playing futures.

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Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor have been stood down by the club after the schoolgirl sex scandal. Picture: Getty Images.

The Bulldogs duo have been stood down and face heavy sanctions including deregistration over allegations of misconduct involving two schoolgirls during a training camp in Port Macquarie. It’s alleged Okunbor, 23, and Harawira-Naera, 24, took the school girls back to the team hotel for sex, breaking team protocol and the game’s code of conduct. The pair are not under police investigation.

Jackson said while he was concerned for the welfare of the two players, he stressed their actions did not reflect on the club’s culture or the rest of the playing group.

“I will say those two guys, [what they did] doesn’t reflect who we are here as a club, it doesn’t reflect our values and it doesn’t reflect those guys’ character as well,” Jackson said.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re careful here because they’re young guys who’ve made a really bad decision, it doesn’t mean they’re bad people, and we’ve got to make sure their welfare and their mental state is really looked after as well.

“We’ve got to be supportive of that.”

The scandal has meant the Bulldogs have been unable to secure a major sponsor for the 2020 NRL season. Picture: NRL Photos.

Veteran forward Aiden Tolman said the players had let not only their team but their fans down.

“It’s a very difficult situation, they’ve obviously done the wrong thing and let down the team and the club and everyone else involved in it, the fans, the members, but in saying that too, they’re really good people,” he said.

“For me, this is well out of character for what they both bring to this club.

“What’s more important for me is making sure their welfare is all right.

“There’s going to be some harsh calls come down and they need to know what they did was wrong, and not right, but in saying that too they’re still people, we still need to make sure we’re there to support them during this time. “It’s frustrating for this to happen right on the NRL season, but it has.

“I’ve got my opinion, I don’t want to say it, I don’t want to get drawn into that comment at the moment.”

The club was on the verge of announcing a major sponsorship with restaurant chain Rashays, said to be worth around $2 million. The deal fell through as news of the off-field incident broke earlier this month.

FORAN FIGHTING FOR A COMEBACK AS VIRUS BITES

As Canterbury CEO Andrew Hill briefed his players on the impact of coronavirus behind closed doors yesterday morning, injured playmaker Kieran Foran was out on the Belmore turf being put through his paces.

The Daily Telegraph spotted a fit Foran running drills with the club’s head of performance, Tony Ayoub.

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Kieran Foran is looking fit, and fighting for a return in Round 15 of the 2020 season. Picture. Phil Hillyard.

Foran suffered a devastating blow playing for New Zealand against Great Britain last November when he injured the same right shoulder he had reconstructed in 2016.

Initially it was expected Foran would be out for at least six months but surgeons discovered a rotator cuff injury while repairing his shoulder. It blew out his recovery period to around nine months.

But Foran is now well ahead of schedule and is aiming for a round 15 return.

While Foran worked through his rehab, teammates were coming to grips with the repercussion of coronavirus on the NRL.

The governing body, after consulting with the federal government, announced over the weekend that round two of the competition would take place but fans would be locked out of stadiums.

Bulldogs skipper Josh Jackson said he supported the decision to keep the NRL going even if it means supporters couldn’t attend games in the interim.

“It’s a strange situation, an unprecedented one. It’s going to be different but it’s like playing as you did as kids and you played for the love of the game and I guess that is what it will be like on Thursday. It’s a good opportunity for it, it’s something that I’m actually looking forward to it,” he said.

Josh Jackson keeps his distance from the media amid the coronavirus pandemic. Picture. Phil Hillyard.

Fellow Canterbury veteran Aiden Tolman echoed Jackson’s sentiments and said if player safety wasn’t being compromised then he was happy to take the footy field this Thursday against North Queensland at ANZ Stadium.

“I definitely want to play. The advice at the moment is we are still allowed to go on. It’s a hard situation to be under, obviously the players health, that’s number one, that’s paramount but there are other considerations to take into account as well,” Tolman said.

“We’ve just come off a four-month pre-season the last thing we want to being is not playing games. It’s easy to say cancel the season but there are other things that need to happens as well. Unless there is a health scare, then that’s when you need to take that in account.”

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Jackson would know more than most about the potential health risks of coronavirus, his partner, Madie, is a specialist doctor at a Sydney hospital.

“Obviously it’s going to get a little more hectic for them in the next couple of months or what not but too be honest I haven’t spoken to her too much about it. She probably gets enough of it as work she probably doesn’t need me [talking about it],” Jackson said.

Originally published as Josh Jackson defends Bulldogs culture after Jayden Okunbor, Corey Harawira-Naera scandal