Bulldog Bandit
Kennel Established
- Joined
- May 11, 2008
- Messages
- 574
- Reaction score
- 0
COWBOYS enforcer Luke O'Donnell has been branded a "liability", with his judiciary rap sheet prompting at least one NRL club to steer away from the off-contract forward.
Figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show the 29-year-old is the most suspended forward in NRL history - which dates back to 1998.
Currently serving a three-week sentence from last weekend's match against Wests Tigers, O'Donnell's bans total 26 weeks - virtually a whole season.
Parramatta's Fuifui Moimoi (23) and injured Rabbitohs forward Michael Crocker (21) sit second and third among the NRL bad boys.
On a total list of serial offenders dating back 20 years, John Hopoate remains the most suspended player with 45 weeks on the sidelines.
While North Queensland officials have declared they will attempt to tone down O'Donnell's aggression, it's not enough for one rival official who suggested his club would curtail any proposed negotiations with the NSW Origin forward.
The club in question had previously flagged him as a potential signing, but in the wake of O'Donnell's "minute of madness" last weekend, contract talks have been pulled.
"Are we going to take a bloke whose virtually a liability?" the official said.
O'Donnell, who was unwilling to talk to The Sunday Telegraph despite repeated requests through the Cowboys, took an early guilty plea for a grade two charge of dangerous contact to the head or neck of Tigers fullback Beau Ryan.
Cowboys chief executive Peter Parr admitted O'Donnell's poor record at the judiciary was an obvious concern for the club, but he added that North Queensland remained focused on extending his contract at the club.
"I think he's had three bad games in the past two years,"Parr said. "He's a tough and aggressive player and while we're not concerned about the way he plays the game, we're concerned about the weighting that goes with his offences, and he does have to take ownership of the predicament he's got himself into."
O'Donnell's manager Wayne Beavis said it was incorrect to suggest his client's 11 charges in 10 seasons would affect his bargaining power for next season.
"Of course, he's disappointed," Beavis said of the latest suspension. "He plays the game hard and tough and that's how it is. There seems to be a reluctance for tough people in the game today.
"I think he was very harshly treated and I think it's a perception thing rather than the rule.
"Will it have an affect (on contract talks for next season)? No, not really. People like tough people."
More Story Content
Figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show the 29-year-old is the most suspended forward in NRL history - which dates back to 1998.
Currently serving a three-week sentence from last weekend's match against Wests Tigers, O'Donnell's bans total 26 weeks - virtually a whole season.
Parramatta's Fuifui Moimoi (23) and injured Rabbitohs forward Michael Crocker (21) sit second and third among the NRL bad boys.
On a total list of serial offenders dating back 20 years, John Hopoate remains the most suspended player with 45 weeks on the sidelines.
While North Queensland officials have declared they will attempt to tone down O'Donnell's aggression, it's not enough for one rival official who suggested his club would curtail any proposed negotiations with the NSW Origin forward.
The club in question had previously flagged him as a potential signing, but in the wake of O'Donnell's "minute of madness" last weekend, contract talks have been pulled.
"Are we going to take a bloke whose virtually a liability?" the official said.
O'Donnell, who was unwilling to talk to The Sunday Telegraph despite repeated requests through the Cowboys, took an early guilty plea for a grade two charge of dangerous contact to the head or neck of Tigers fullback Beau Ryan.
Cowboys chief executive Peter Parr admitted O'Donnell's poor record at the judiciary was an obvious concern for the club, but he added that North Queensland remained focused on extending his contract at the club.
"I think he's had three bad games in the past two years,"Parr said. "He's a tough and aggressive player and while we're not concerned about the way he plays the game, we're concerned about the weighting that goes with his offences, and he does have to take ownership of the predicament he's got himself into."
O'Donnell's manager Wayne Beavis said it was incorrect to suggest his client's 11 charges in 10 seasons would affect his bargaining power for next season.
"Of course, he's disappointed," Beavis said of the latest suspension. "He plays the game hard and tough and that's how it is. There seems to be a reluctance for tough people in the game today.
"I think he was very harshly treated and I think it's a perception thing rather than the rule.
"Will it have an affect (on contract talks for next season)? No, not really. People like tough people."
More Story Content