NRL 2020: Tigers legends call for Josh Reynolds, Russell Packer to be stood down
Balmain Tigers legend Benny Elias has launched a scathing attack on embattled Wests duo Josh Reynolds and Russell Packer in the wake of the pair’s halftime exit from the match against Manly on Saturday.
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Tigers legend Benny Elias has dramatically called for AWOL Wests Tigers players to be kicked out of the club.
“Unless there was a death in the family, there is no excuse,” said Elias, who played 234 games for Balmain between 1982 and 1994.
The Daily Telegraph revealed Josh Reynolds and Russell Packer abandoned teammates at halftime last Saturday by walking out and missing Wests Tigers’ remarkable late win over Manly at Lottoland.
Injured utility Michael Chee Kam also left Brookvale.
Club management and the players met on Monday afternoon to discuss the embarrassing behaviour which has prompted criticism from Tigers greats Elias, Steve Roach and Garry Jack.
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There were no sanctions against the players, who on Monday elected against commenting publicly.
“There’s no Golden Books story with a happy ending,” Elias said. “Unless there was a death in the family, there is no excuse. Other than that, it’s inexcusable.
“It’s the wrong thing, it’s not part of the mateship act and it’s not the honourable thing to do. There’s not one positive in what they have done.
“I’m being brutal here but I’d tell them to pack their packs and tell them they’re not part of our team. See you later.
“If they want to pack their bags at halftime and walk out then I say keep walking. That’s my message – keep walking.
“If you don’t want to stick around during the tough times then we don’t want you here during the good times. I can’t be more brutal than that.
“This is a club and we all stick together. It’s just disappointing. For the life of me I can’t see a positive out of it. I try and look for positives in everything, as you know, but there’s just no excuse.”
Given they weren’t playing, Reynolds and Packer did not breach any rules by leaving. Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire admitted the “perception” was poor.
“We were struggling big time at halftime (behind 20-12) and that’s when you need your senior people around you – even if they just see you in the dressing room – it’s a comfort blanket,” Elias said.
“’Madge’ (Maguire) would be very disappointed. The only positive was that when they weren’t there, the team turned things around and won.
“Even the young kids stick around and watch the main game after they have finished and they’re not even part of the team. You stick together. Arthritis? (Packer’s excuse) Please.
“People who have snapped hamstrings and broken arms still stick around until the end because you’re part of a team. They are our own and you stick side-by-side through good and bad.”
An angry Jack said: “It’s not the attitude you want. The highly paid big names should set the example. They were cold … please. It’s a gee-up surely. It’s bullshit.
“We’ve got three weeks to go and you want all hands on deck. I’d stand them down for the year. We’re a team. We work together. It’s a terrible image. In our day all three grades never left until full-time in the main game.”
It is understood some other injured Wests Tigers players didn’t attend the game.
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Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks has weighed into the controversy surrounding Russell Packer and Josh Reynolds after it was revealed the pair left Saturday night’s match during half time.
Brooks revealed he only found out the club’s highest paid players didn’t stick around to see the Tigers 34-32 gallant come-from-behind win against Manly after it was reported in News Corp.
But the 25-year-old said neither player had anything to apologise for and if the Tigers weren’t fighting to have their season the walkout would not have made the news.
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“Not at all. They weren’t required to be there so they don’t have to be there. It doesn’t affect us playing, you don’t even notice that they left. To me personally, I don’t really care,” Brooks said.
“They have our full support so it’s a story that has been blown out of proportion. Because of where we are on the ladder, little stories become bigger stories and that’s frustrating.”
Veteran forward Elijah Taylor said the actions of Reynolds and Packer did not reflect poorly on the Concord club’s culture.
“We didn’t find out about it until this morning. They’ve both got families - our culture is strong here, we showed that on the weekend in how we performed,” Taylor said.
“We’ve got a culture here that works hard for each other and turns up for each other.”
Balmain legend Gary Jack has called for the duo to be stood down but Taylor doesn’t believe the players, who trained on Monday morning, broke any rules that warranted punishment.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen (to them),” Taylor said.
“We just had training. They were training hard … it was a pretty tough session.
“Not at all (do they need to apologise). They’ve both got families – it’s a game of footy. We watch footy every day, we live and breathe footy.
“Some of the squad sometimes don’t come to the game because it’s on the other side of the city.”
Originally published as NRL 2020: Tigers legends call for Josh Reynolds, Russell Packer to be stood down