Dragons chairman contradicts CEO amid messy NRL saga: 'No excuse'
St George Illawarra chairman Craig Young has contradicted club CEO Ryan Webb, saying there was 'no excuse' for as many as 19 players snubbing the club's end of season presentation night.
In a sign of discontent at the Dragons after an uninspiring 2022 NRL season, just three players, in addition to the club's NRLW squad, showed up to their end of season function.
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Many of the absences were justified by Webb, who claimed pushing the date back to accomodate the NRL squad had been a difficulty for many players who had booked trips away, and labelled the criticism 'unwarranted'.
His version of events stood in contrast to Young's, who told the Daily Telegraph it 'disappointing to say the least' that the event was so poorly attended.
Of the 30 player squad, eight are absent due to commitments at the Rugby League World Cup, but questions have been raised as to the legitimacy of claims that many other absentees were simply on holiday.
NRL writer Buzz Rothfield claimed on Fox League that he knew 'know for a fact that there were players in Sydney at home' and praised Young for his honest assessment of the situation.
In the interview, Young conceded there were off-field issues at the club that urgently needed to be addressed.
“We had eight or nine players who had World Cup commitments and their absence was understandable. However the other players should have been there. When I played you couldn’t wait to get there," Young said.
“It’s not like you have to pay for anything. It’s free food and drink. There’s no excuse.
“The culture needs working on, for sure. It will be addressed by the CEO and the football manager.
“We can’t hide from it, we’ve got to address it and we will.”
Young's comments come just over a week after Webb dismissed the concerns around the team as the media 'making a mountain out of a molehill'.
Dragons to address culture concerns after NRL presentation night no-shows
Rothfield believed Young was taking the right road in being honest about facing the club's challenges.
“It’s interesting that the chairman contradicted what the CEO told (Dean Ritchie) in the Telegraph last week — that is was acceptable and people had to understand boys were away on holidays,” Rothfield said.
“I like what Craig Young said, I really do.
“I like the fact that Craig Young has called the players out. I think it was really appalling and disrespectful.”
Meanwhile, the Dragons have released premiership-winning prop George Burgess from the final year of his contract following an inauspicious return to the NRL.
When he joined the Dragons after two years back home in England, the former South Sydney forward became the first man to play professional rugby league following hip resurfacing surgery.
But his comeback was overshadowed in March when he was charged by police with sexual touching without consent.
Burgess later checked into a rehabilitation facility to deal with personal issues unrelated to the criminal charge, for which he is facing a hearing next year.
He made two appearances for the Dragons' NSW Cup side in August following his time away from the club,
A month later, his twin brother and former Souths teammate Thomas told AAP that George was keen on an NRL return.
But the 30-year-old Englishman leaves the Dragons having made only four first-grade appearances and facing a challenge to play NRL again.
"The Dragons thank George for his contribution to St George Illawarra and wish him all the best in his future endeavours," the Dragons said in a statement.
With AAP
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