Newcastle Knights employ security guard to avoid trouble on end-of-season trip to Cairns
THE Newcastle Knights are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to protect their brand — paying $5000 for a private security guard during their end-of-season festivities.
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THE Newcastle Knights are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to protect their brand — paying $5000 for a private security guard during their end-of-season festivities.
Having celebrated their end of season as a club on Monday, the Knights playing group are bound for Cairns this weekend where they will be chaperoned by the same security officer who oversaw Brad Fittler’s NSW Blues trouble-free State of Origin camp.
Koniseti Liutai, who works for E-Group Security, was also employed by the NSWRL when Laurie Daley steered the Blues to Origin success in 2014.
A bare-minimum precautionary measure for clubs to employ security during Mad Monday celebrations is back on the agenda following Canterbury’s drunken antics in The Rocks last Monday.
Knights football manager Darren Mooney said that it would be wrong to suggest that Mad Monday celebrations weren’t without risk.
However, Mooney said the Knights were intent on ensuring the club’s image remained in-tact, while also allowing the players freedom to enjoy themselves after a long season.
“We think by hiring security, it’s part of ensuring our player’s welfare,’’ Mooney said.
“There’s never any guarantees that something won’t happen, but we put everything we can around the team to ensure that everyone can a fun time without going overboard.
“We have security to assess the location and surroundings of the players. We have food provided by the club and transport to and from any of the venues.
“It’s just about common-sense really and to us, our players and how they represent our club in public, is paramount.’’
The Knights playing group will depart for Cairns on Friday before returning on Sunday.
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