logo
Dylan Edwards' truth bomb for Raiders as NRL boss responds to Vegas incident

Dylan Edwards' truth bomb for Raiders as NRL boss responds to Vegas incident

Yahoo25-02-2025

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.
RELATED:
Luke Brooks' sad reveal as Jarome Luai tipped for 14-year first at Tigers
Sam Burgess in worrying news as Corey Parker airs complaint about Vegas
Knights take action as Ponga tipped to replace Tedesco at Roosters
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.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jaire Alexander landing spots: Steelers, Rams best fits for veteran CB
Jaire Alexander landing spots: Steelers, Rams best fits for veteran CB

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Jaire Alexander landing spots: Steelers, Rams best fits for veteran CB

Jaire Alexander landing spots: Steelers, Rams best fits for veteran CB Show Caption Hide Caption Ashton Jeanty talks all things Las Vegas Raiders and his hopes in the NFL Ashton Jeanty spoke with USA TODAY Sports about his upcoming rookie season with the Raiders and his partnership with Sharpie. Sports Seriously The Green Bay Packers are moving on from one of their longest-tenured defenders, cornerback Jaire Alexander. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Packers are planning to release Alexander on Monday. The move comes after the two parties explored both a trade and a restructured contract before deciding to part ways. Alexander was a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and quickly blossomed into a top cornerback for the Packers. He was named to the NFL's All-Pro second team twice during his seven years in Green Bay and had a career-high five interceptions in 2022. FREEMAN: Kevin O'Connell is a QB guru. How that happened is best part of his Vikings story Over the last couple of seasons, Alexander has struggled to stay healthy. He was limited to a combined 14 games during the 2023 and 2024 seasons while dealing with knee, groin, back, shoulder and quad injuries. Alexander is still just 28 and performed well when on the field, allowing a 79.9 passer rating and recording two interceptions during the 2024 NFL season. That should make him of interest to contenders searching for cornerback help. Here's a look at some of Alexander's top potential landing spots. The Steelers are loading up for a potential Super Bowl run after signing Aaron Rodgers to a one-year deal. Could they target Alexander, his former teammate, to help provide depth and talent at cornerback? Pittsburgh already added two veteran corners to its roster during the offseason in Darius Slay and Brandin Echols, but at this stage in his career, Alexander is better than both. The Steelers could consider signing him and having him split playing time with the 34-year-old Slay to keep both healthy long-term. AARON RODGERS: Some Steelers fans hate team's QB signing - 'I wish he'd have retired already' The Rams have frequently been mentioned as a landing spot for Jalen Ramsey, who the Miami Dolphins are looking to trade. They could shift their attention to Alexander on the free-agent market to add talent to the team's cornerback room. Los Angeles is currently slated to start Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon as its outside corners. Alexander would provide an upgrade and could help Chris Shula's defense take a step forward in 2025. Pete Carroll has earned a reputation for coaching up cornerbacks during his NFL career, but the Raiders are presently lacking a No. 1 corner. Alexander would change that, and he projects as a nice longer-term complement to third-round rookie Darien Porter – a raw, bigger-bodied defensive back. The Raiders already signed one former Packers cornerback during the offseason in Eric Stokes. Perhaps they will go back to the well and target Alexander. The Eagles have two great, young cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but the team could use more veteran depth. It's also worth noting defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently said the team would prefer to keep DeJean in the slot and could potentially play him at safety in base packages. Alexander would provide needed experience to the Eagles' cornerback room and would be an upgrade over the departed Slay. The Bengals struggled in coverage during the 2024 NFL season. Part of their issue was they didn't have a clear-cut top cornerback, as Cam Taylor-Britt struggled to perform consistently and was benched at times throughout the year as a result. Alexander would provide Cincinnati a player who has performed steadily when healthy. That's something the team could use after eschewing the cornerback position entirely during the 2025 NFL Draft. A.J. Terrell is one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. Atlanta hasn't yet found a suitable partner for him, as Mike Hughes allowed a 98.7 passer rating last season while Dee Alford surrendered a mark of 119.2. Alexander and Terrell would form a fearsome duo while allowing Hughes and Alford to slot in as depth options. That could help the Falcons improve upon a defense that ranked 28th in defensive EPA last season. As mentioned earlier, the Dolphins are looking to move on from Ramsey. If they do, they will have a gaping hole at cornerback. Alexander could fill that void at a lower cost than Ramsey while looking to stay healthy and rebuild his value.

Heritage's Banister and Aquinas' Baucom are the Broward Softball Coaches of the Year
Heritage's Banister and Aquinas' Baucom are the Broward Softball Coaches of the Year

Miami Herald

time7 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Heritage's Banister and Aquinas' Baucom are the Broward Softball Coaches of the Year

It wasn't that long ago that winning state softball championships was the norm at St. Thomas Aquinas and American Heritage. Both prestigious programs made it back to the state final four this season, and could be close to restoring those traditions in the near future. Under the direction of veteran coach Bryan Baucom, St. Thomas Aquinas advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 2017. And under coach Sam Banister, who finished her third season as Heritage's head coach, the Patriots advanced to the state final for the first time since winning the most recent of their eight state titles in 2018. Baucom and Banister are this year's Miami Herald Softball Coaches of the Year for Broward County. Baucom wins the Class 7A-5A honors after guiding the Raiders to state in Class 5A after going 16-13 and navigating through the second-toughest rated schedule in the state. The Aquinas program found itself struggling after the 2020 COVID-shortened season. But since 2022, when the Raiders broke a three-year drought of not making it to regionals, they have advanced one round further in the playoffs. Moving down to 5A this season meant Aquinas would not have to deal with nationally-ranked Doral Academy, which eliminated the Raiders in the regional finals last season. Aquinas crushed Stuart South Fork 10-1 in this year's regional final after surviving an 8-7 thriller against Pembroke Pines Charter in the semifinal. The Raiders' season ended with a 7-2 loss to Niceville in the state semifinals. But Baucom, who has led Aquinas to all four of its state championships, graduates only three senior starters. Banister's team has also continually moved a step closer to the mountaintop since she took over following legendary coach Marty Cooper's retirement before the 2023 season. Banister led Heritage to an impressive 23-3 record this season and to the Class 4A state final before the Patriots suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Fort Walton Beach. But Heritage also returns a strong core since they graduated only one starter.

Brumbies ace credits Wallabies legend for Super charge
Brumbies ace credits Wallabies legend for Super charge

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Brumbies ace credits Wallabies legend for Super charge

Noah Lolesio has credited his coach Stephen Larkham - widely considered the greatest Wallabies flyhalf - for giving him the tools to steer the Brumbies into their fourth successive Super Rugby Pacific semi-final. The Brumbies will travel to Hamilton for a semi-final clash with the Chiefs, who topped the ladder but suffered a shock qualifying final loss to the Blues. No Australian side has ever won a knock-out game in New Zealand in the almost 30-year history of Super Rugby and the Brumbies' last three seasons have ended in semi-final defeats across the ditch. Despite this record Lolesio said the Brumbies wouldn't be shifting far from the game plan that helped to dispatch the Hurricanes 35-28 in their qualifying final in Canberra. "The Blues play a bit different to how we play but if anything, it just shows that if you show up physically with the right mindset you put yourself in a good position to win, so that's where our heads are at as a team," Lolesio said on Monday in Canberra. "Nothing really changes for us in how we play our game right now; we know our game works and it's very effective and efficient so we just have to back our systems in place and game plan. "If everyone just does their job to the best of their ability, hopefully we put ourselves in a good position to get a good result." Lolesi played a composed game at No.10, pulling the right strings as his team mixed up their attack between forward play and using their sizzling pace out wide. Dependent on the result, Saturday's match could be the 25-year-old's last in Brumbies colours, with Lolesio taking his playing career to Japan. "I'm giving everything into this game this weekend, knowing that potentially it could be my last," he said. "I'm not going to leave any stone unturned ... not just for myself, but for this special organisation that have been so good to me ever since I came to Canberra as a 17-year-old." With 23 caps, the Test flyhalf was first coached by Dan McKellar before Larkham took over at the ACT side in 2022. While he may not have the natural talent of Larkham, who helped Australia fill its trophy cabinet including the 1999 World Cup, Lolesio said he'd grown as a player under "Bernie". "He's been awesome, ever since he arrived, he's just always been telling me to back whatever I see on the field," Lolesio said. "Just simple cues and triggers on how to manipulate the defence with quick ball or slow ball. "I've been really enjoying my time, especially the one-on-one chats with Bernie just on how I can develop my game as a 10 and help the team around as well. "I think if you look at my game from when I first debuted to where my game's at now, I think I've taken huge strides as more just a game manager than anything else. "I take serious pride in leading the team around the best I can, doing the best for the team, so having Bernie there at the same time, it helps massively."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store