Western Bulldogs vice-captain Lachie Hunter set to be suspended and booted from leadership group
An investigation is ongoing, but Lachie Hunter is expected to receive a hefty punishment from his club for his wild night. However, the Bulldogs want to avoid replicating Collingwood’s mistake from 2008.
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Western Bulldogs vice-captain Lachie Hunter is expected to be suspended, fined and possibly booted from the club’s leadership group after a costly night out that has implicated two of his teammates.
Bulldog bosses will today continue their investigation into Hunter’s wild Thursday, where he crashed into four parked cars and then asked teenager Bailey Smith for a ride to Billy Gowers’ place to continue drinking.
Hunter, 25, left home emotional after an argument with his fiancee and was breathalysed only when police found him with Gowers.
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He has been hit with a $1652 penalty notice for breaching social distancing rules and will be sent the insurance bills for the damaged vehicles.
A series of phone calls and WhatsApp group chats by top Bulldogs attempted to verify what happened.
With the AFL integrity unit and police involved it was decided they needed more time.
“The incident was discussed at the Bulldogs’ scheduled board meeting today, and the club is taking the matter very seriously,” the club said in a statement.
The Bulldogs want to complete a thorough investigation so they don’t replicate Collingwood president Eddie McGuire’s mistake in 2008.
McGuire publicly defended Alan Didak, only for it to emerge that he had been lied to and Didak was in Heath Shaw’s passenger seat when the intoxicated driver damaged three cars.
Bulldogs football director Chris Grant, coach Luke Beveridge and the rest of the leadership group will decide the punishments, which will then be ratified by the board.
It shapes as a baptism of fire for new captain Marcus Bontempelli, 24, who has been in charge for just one game.
Premiership Bulldog Jordan Roughead said this month that sitting in judgment of peers while vice-captain at Whitten Oval was uncomfortable.
“I was asked to tell one of the players what their punishment was going to be for an indiscretion,” Roughead, who is now at Collingwood, said.
“It didn’t really sit well with me.”
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Inside Western Bulldogs’ Lachie Hunter’s dramatic hours before alleged crash
Hawthorn did not suspend Luke Hodge for a drink-driving offence in 2015 and he captained the club to a premiership only weeks later.
Hunter’s camp is likely to argue his suspension should fall in line with this year’s reduced home-and-away season.
For example, a four-game ban in a 17-round season is equal to a five-game ban in a 22-round season.
Hunter, a best-and-fairest winner and premiership star, is under contract until 2024.
It is understood Hunter would consider fighting any drink-driving charges, given his blood alcohol reading of 0.123 was largely attributed to drinking at Gowers’ South Yarra home after the crash.
Hunter exchanged licence details and phone numbers with residents on Wright St in Middle Park before hopping into Smith’s car. Last night it was understood that Smith was present only because Hunter had damaged a car belonging to his girlfriend’s family in a bizarre coincidence.
A bottle of pinot rose was left in Hunter’s passenger seat when he abandoned his SUV, which was later towed.
Hunter has played 103 out of the club’s past 104 games.