Richmond players arrested after punch-up outside Gold Coast strip club
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has demanded any AFL players breaching the strict COVID-19 bubble should be sent home, after two Victorian players were arrested and hit with hefty fines for fighting outside a Gold Coast strip club.
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has demanded AFL players breaching the strict COVID-19 bubble should be sent home after two Richmond players were arrested following a fight outside a Gold Coast strip club.
The Courier-Mail has been told the two players, Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones were involved in an altercation last night after being evicted from Hollywood Showgirls on the glitter strip’s Orchid Ave.
The pair have been booted out of Queensland in disgrace and the club fined $100,000. The Tigers duo have each been slapped with a 10-match suspension.
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“AFL players caught breaking COVID rules should be sent home,” she said in a Tweet.
“Queensland won’t tolerate it.
“I know the AFL takes these issues seriously and will take appropriate action.”
A statement released by Queensland Police Service said two men were issued with an infringement notice for public nuisance (violent behaviour).
“Police arrested two men following a disturbance in Surfers Paradise early this morning,” the statement said.
“Around 3.30am, officers responded to reports of two men, aged 20 and 21, involved in a physical altercation on Orchid Avenue.
“Both men sustained facial injuries as a result of the incident.
“The men were both issued with a Police Banning Notice, excluding them from Gold Coast Safe Night Precincts and a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) for Public Nuisance (Violent Behaviour). Further investigations are continuing into the matter.”
The Richmond Football Club referred to the incident as a breach of the AFL Covid biosecurity bubble.
“Richmond has become aware of a breach of AFL Covid-19 protocol by two of its players in the early hours of Friday morning,” a statement posted by the club said.
“The club immediately reported the breach of protocols to the AFL and is working with the League to investigate the matter.
“The club is not in a position to comment further until the investigation is complete.”
The statement said the two players were not in the same hub as a large contingent of players, families and officials who have recently arrived.
“The players have been based inside the club’s player hub on the Gold Coast having already undertaken a 14-day quarantine in July.
“They are not part of the current quarantine hub where AFL officials, players and family members are undertaking the required 14-day quarantine period.”
AFL players and their families who relocated to Gold Coast “hubs” had to agree to severe restrictions that prevent them being out among the community.
There were several breaches initially, resulting in warnings, and then large fines being dished out to clubs.
In one case, one player’s children were collected from a hub by their grandparents and taken to a Gold Coast theme park.
At the time, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said there was no “malice” involved in the breach and players and families had been reminded of the rules.
“One of the issues that has happened...is that a player’s wife, who had family up there decided to just let the kids go and stay with the grandparents just for the afternoon,” McGuire said.
“But the grandparents took them down to Sea World or Movie World or something like that, it’s just one of those one degree of separation goes further out, no one thinks anything of it, there’s no malice involved.
“But I understand that has caused a major drama up amongst the hubs there because the kids went with grandma and grandpa off to the theme park and then when they were picked up later in the afternoon the mum said ‘oh no, you shouldn’t have done that’.”
In another breach, the AFL fined the Richmond Tigers $20,000 when a player’s wife left the hub to go to a day spa.
Brooke Cotchin, Trent Cotchin’s wife, publicly apologised for the mistake but was subjected to vile abuse over social media.
Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said the players had been fined $800 each.
“We took action at the time because of a physical altercation outside Hollywood Showgirls,” he said.
“The matter is still under investigation.”
Hundreds of AFL players, families and officials have relocated to Queensland to keep the season going away from Melbourne’s coronavirus outbreak.
To prevent the spread of the virus, clubs have been quarantining in Gold Coast “hubs” - resorts where families can lounge by the pool and interact with each other but not the outside world.
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the brawl was the result of the Government giving “special deals” to sporting stars and celebrities over “everyday Australians”.
“If two players from the special AFL hub were in a strip club and then involved in a late-night brawl, then they should be sent back to Victoria,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Reckless behaviour like this puts the lives and livelihoods of Queenslanders at risk.
“It shows bad judgement that Annastacia Palaszczuk trusted these sporting stars to do the right thing.
“This is yet another slap in the face for the everyday Australians that have been overlooked by the Palaszczuk Government.
“It is time for common sense, consistency and compassion - not special deals for sporting stars and celebrities.”
Originally published as Richmond players arrested after punch-up outside Gold Coast strip club