David Klemmer defends Dylan Napa over explicit videos controversy
As off-field incidents continue to mount in the NRL, David Klemmer has come to the defence of the man who replaced him at Canterbury.
As off-field incidents continue to mount in the NRL, David Klemmer has come to the defence of the man who replaced him at Canterbury.
Dylan Napa is embroiled in controversy just weeks after joining his new club.
He has featured in two explicit videos which have been released in the past week.
Klemmer said many of the game’s incidents were within the control of the person involved, but he had a degree of sympathy for Napa.
“Some of the things that have happened, it’s disappointing,” Klemmer said.
“But some things, especially Dylan Napa, I’ve got to feel for the bloke. You can’t control that, he didn’t put (the video) out there.
“Some of the things you can’t control and some things you can, and it’s just a hard one.”
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Klemmer’s new club, the Newcastle Knights, have not been immune from the drama.
Forward Jacob Saifiti is recovering from a broken leg after allegedly being king hit outside a Newcastle pub following a night out with teammates last December. And Tautau Moga was charged with common assault after an alleged incident with a taxi driver on Boxing Day.
Klemmer said the players weren’t letting it derail their pre-season, but those involved needed to be aware of the impact their indiscretions had.
“Everyone makes mistakes in their lives but, as professionals, this is our job we’ve got to do and we’ve got to keep moving forward and protect this brand,’’ he said.
“As a professional athlete, you’ve got to own that (the image misdemeanours portray) as well.
“When we do make mistakes, we get hammered straight away.
“You make a mistake you’ve got to keep moving forward and you’ve got to fix that mistake so it doesn’t happen again.”
Klemmer is just four weeks into his five-year stay in the Hunter and is feeling refreshed by the change of scene.
As well as mass player changes, the Knights have had turnover in their high-performance department and the players have noticed the new approach.
“I’ve been here for three or four weeks now and it’s been pretty tough,” Klemmer said.
“It feels like I’ve started first grade again.
“They have a whole new HP unit. Balin Cupples (head of performance) has done a good job.
“He’s a hard man, he’s really testing our minds and our lungs as well.”
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