Dylan Edwards' truth bomb for Raiders as NRL boss responds to Vegas incident
Dylan Edwards' reaction to the Las Vegas drama that has landed two Canberra stars in hot water speaks volumes about the professionalism of Ivan Cleary's four-time reigning premiers and the Penrith fullback in particular. And it shines another glaring spotlight on his rivals at Canberra. Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies have both made public apologies after a late-night hotel scuffle in Vegas last weekend that created the very unwanted headlines that league officials were hoping to avoid.
The Raiders players are best mates and their girlfriends have been travelling around the United States together. But they reportedly came to blows after a late-night drinking session, following a computer system mix-up at the Vegas resort the team was staying at, which left one of the players without a room and the other unwilling to share his bed.
A scuffle ensued in the hotel elevator and the pair were briefly ejected from the building after hotel security became concerned about an inflatable baseball bat one of the players was seen carrying on CCTV footage. Young and Smithies were later allowed to return to the hotel when club officials were informed and the situation was cleared up after 2am local time.
Speaking about the embarrassing saga on Tuesday before flying out to America, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo reminded the players about their responsibilities while representing the sport on the international stage. 'NRL players are professionals and know they are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all times,' Abdo told News Corp. 'We expect exceptional standards from our athletes on and off the field.'
Raiders players Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies have spoken with media today in Las Vegas.#WeAreRaiders #NRLVegas pic.twitter.com/DJSHZTggMQ
— Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) February 24, 2025
The Panthers also became unwittingly caught up in the drama when hotel staff knocked on one of their players' doors by accident. Penrith's premiership-winning squad is also staying in the Resorts World precinct in Las Vegas but neither Panthers prop Moses Leota or fullback Edwards were among those awoken during the disturbance.
And Edwards' response about the drama after being quizzed by reporters in Vegas speaks volumes about his professionalism, compared to the two Canberra players. 'It wasn't my door. I was sound (asleep) by then," Edwards said. "That is something for Canberra to deal with. Apparently they have dealt with it well. It is a bit of a personal onus on how you want to represent yourself and represent the club. We have a great bunch of boys there who just like enjoying each other'c company and being round each other. You just have to behave I suppose.'
Stuart and the Raiders have every right to feel let down by Young and Smithies, who are both international Test stars with Australia and Great Britain, respectively. Both players should know better and serious questions are justifiably being asked about why they were out drinking late ahead of the first game of the new season.
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It's understood NRL officials will review security footage of the hotel scuffle to determine what sanctions Young and Smithies could be facing. And the Raiders could also hit them with disciplinary measures when they return to Australia, after stopping short of standing the pair down from the Vegas game. Canberra CEO Don Furner told he was disappointed in his players after phoning the NRL CEO from Los Angeles to initially inform him about the incident.
Furner said the club didn't consider sending the players home, but made it clear to Raiders coach Stuart that the duo needed to front up to media and own their mistake. 'It's very disappointing,' Furner told News Corp. 'I just said to Rick (Stuart) that the players should front the media. That's why we did it. Make them own their mistake rather than leave it to the club to face the music.'
The Raiders take on the New Zealand Warriors in the first of the two NRL games at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday (Sunday March 2, AEDT). That opening game of the new NRL season will be followed by Cronulla's clash with four-time defending premiers, Penrith, later in the day.
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