By: Brett Stubbs - Mercury
OUT-OF-FORM Kangaroos and Devils fullback Jonathan Hay was suspended
yesterday and fined the maximum $5000 for drinking alcohol the night before
last Saturday's VFL match at Bellerive Oval.
And a group of fellow Kangaroos/Devils players were reprimanded by
the Kangaroos for being on Wrest Point Casino's gaming floor on the same
night.
It is a huge blow for the Devils, who are trying to gather popular
support in the first year of their partial alliance with the AFL Kangaroos.
Hay, 26, signed a lucrative three-year deal with the Kangaroos after
leaving Hawthorn last year, but was dropped to the VFL two weeks ago after a
series of embarrassing blunders and poor performances.
His form with the Devils has not improved, and the former
All-Australian had another poor match during Saturday's 73-point loss to
Werribee -- the Devils' fifth loss in a row.
Kangaroos chief executive Geoff Walsh said in a statement yesterday:
"Jonathan Hay has admitted to drinking alcohol prior to the match, and as
such has been fined $5000 under the AFL Player Code of Conduct and has been
suspended for the next match he is eligible for selection.''
The Kangaroos would not say how much alcohol Hay had consumed the
night before the game, but it is believed the veteran of 157 AFL games was
not drunk.
AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade said the Devils were not
even aware
of the matter until informed
by the Kangaroos late on
Tuesday.
"We received no complaints and we weren't aware of any issues until
we were advised by the North Melbourne Football Club,'' Wade said yesterday.
"We believe the matter has been appropriately handled by the North
Melbourne Football Club.''
He said he did not believe the players' actions affected their
performances last Saturday, or put the clubs' alignment at risk.
But Wade did concede the actions were a major blow in winning over
the hearts and minds of the Tasmanian football public.
It is believed three Kangaroos who represented the Devils against
Werribee were seen on the gaming floor at Wrest Point last Friday night.
"The club has expressed the view to the players that we deem this
as inappropriate preparation for a match, given their obligations to
themselves and the clubs they are representing [both Tasmania and the
Kangaroos],'' Walsh said.
News of Hay's drinking and suspension comes only a day after Devils
coach Mathew Armstrong, in his column in The Mercury, asked the public to
encourage and support the out-of-sorts fullback.
No Tasmanian-based Devils were involved in Friday night's incident.
Last Modified on 15/06/2006 12:39