Canberra Raiders stars Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies in physical altercation, Las Vegas hotel eviction
The shock reason behind the physical altercation involving Raiders stars Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies in Las Vegas has been revealed, with the duo now set to be disciplined by the club.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Canberra Raiders stars Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies became embroiled in a heated late-night altercation in Las Vegas after one of the players wouldn’t share his bed with his teammate, who was stranded without a room due to a check-in malfunction.
Young and Smithies actually came to blows during on their first night in Sin City on Thursday (local time), ahead of the NRL’s American season opener this weekend.
Security deemed the scuffle serious enough that they temporarily evicted the pair from the Hilton Hotel in Resorts World until the situation was calmed.
The pair are set to avoid suspension but will be disciplined by the club, who have called a snap press conference for the players to front the media on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
The incident stemmed from confusion and a disagreement over a room booking.
The NRL’s arrival in Vegas for the game’s second US venture coincided with a major system meltdown at the official accommodation partner, Resorts World.
One of the players did not have an allocated room after returning from a night out. He asked to share a bed with his teammate but his request was rejected, which prompted the disagreement and subsequent fight.
Security were called amid initial fears players were holding a baseball bat. It later emerged that it was an inflatable baseball bat.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart confirmed the incident and said he would discipline the Test duo.
“I have spoken to the players who are very embarrassed,” Stuart said.
“The behaviour was unacceptable. The club will deal with this strongly,” Stuart said.
Once they were allowed to return to their rooms, hotel staff accidentally escorted them to a Penrith Panthers player’s room.
There was no police involvement and the NRL was made aware of the incident.
The players are expected to front the media on Monday morning (local time) to address the saga before Canberra’s first full intensity training session in Vegas.
Young and Smithies are two crucial players for the Raiders ahead of Sunday’s round 1 clash with the New Zealand Warriors at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders are understood to be reluctant to drop the duo following the incident, but they could be hit with other sanctions.
Canberra CEO Don Furner was due to arrive in Vegas shortly before news broke of the scuffle.
The Raiders have had an eventful start to their US expedition.
They held a recovery session at what they thought was a swimming facility that was actually a rooftop Vegas pool party venue on Friday. They then discovered their training ground had been double booked on Saturday, prompting a last-minute switch where they trained alongside a local team of 12-year-old flag football players.
The arrival of NRL clubs at Resorts World, which has more than 3500 hotel rooms, has also been far from smooth.
The hotel claimed a computer system upgrade was responsible for mass delays and check-in confusion, leaving hundreds of guests in limbo over multiple days.
Some were forced to wait up to eight hours after arriving to receive a room. There have also been reports of rooms being double booked and guests being suddenly, and without warning, logged out of their rooms.
The NRL attempted to ease the pain by pre-checking players and support staff, but clubs still encountered issues.
More Coverage
Originally published as Canberra Raiders stars Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies in physical altercation, Las Vegas hotel eviction