Bulldogs' ignorance
BULLDOGS chief executive Todd Greenberg held private talks with Channel Nine boss David Gyngell in the wake of the Mad Monday dramas and Gyngell's advice may have saved the NRL club some further pain and drama. They have a long relationship, and it is understood Gyngell gave Greenberg some advice when it comes to dealing with and challenging the media and he took it on board. Greenberg is said to have impressed Gyngell with his commitment to his club and his willingness to fight for his players. Having had the chance to witness how clubs and the NRL investigate matters at close range over the past week, it really makes you wonder if they ever want to find out what really happened. And the fact that Sam Kasiano has been identified as the one player who was singing ''punch you in the face'' at the media but has not been fined and suspended by the Dogs or the NRL makes you think that it was time that the ARL Commission stepped in and established its own investigation unit rather than leaving it to overworked, underpaid employees. On Monday morning Greenberg, Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib and Des Hasler had a meeting with Nine heavyweights Jeff Browne and Darren Wick. The ARLC's interim chief executive, Shane Mattiske, attended too, and he entered it clearly supporting the Dogs in their view they had been hard done by. This is despite Nine being completely open with the Bulldogs and the ARLC. Nine informed the Bulldogs immediately after the abuse had occurred, and provided the Bulldogs with the full camera recording of the incident. The Bulldogs have produced no CCTV footage, which supports Nine's version of events. They have produced no witnesses or witness statements. They have produced no statutory declarations. They have not interviewed Jayne Azzopardi, nor cameraman Travis Nemtsas. The ARLC did not view the CCTV footage, nor did it speak with any participants or witnesses. The ARLC interviewed Azzopardi only on Tuesday afternoon, by telephone, after Nine insisted. In short, the ARLC has made no effort to conduct an independent or competent inquiry into the events. The Bulldogs have chosen to ignore the sequence of events on the day. Instead, the club management is pinning its entire defence on bizarre YouTube footage featuring James Graham, the player banned for 12 games on a biting charge in the grand final. According to the Bulldogs, he didn't do that either. The fact the ARLC was willing to back the Dogs with so little evidence is a real worry. There is no doubt that Browne's strong stance in the meeting, and the way he and Wick told the ARLC they were backing their reporter to the hilt, may have had some influence over the way the situation panned out. Browne also was strong when Dib tried to fire him up - to say Browne stopped him in his tracks is an understatement.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/roosters-a-done-deal-says-sbw-20121013-27joi.html#ixzz29DfTyvhP
Graham on outer
JAMES GRAHAM must be wondering if the Bulldogs are with him or against him - he was thrown under the bus by the club when they produced the YouTube footage of him being handled by an older woman as their Mad Monday defence. He is sure to be given grief by players at rival teams. The club has also been happy to spread the line that his nickname is ''Dog'' or even ''Dumb Dog'' which replaces Bupa and Cow's Head.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/roosters-a-done-deal-says-sbw-20121013-27joi.html#ixzz29DfoQaA1