Axed Canberra rookie Bronx Goodwin will now apparently fight the Raiders’ decision to rip up his $600,000 contract in the industrial relations courts. A well known name in League circles, son of ‘Lord’ Ted Goodwin, Bronx will fight the Canberra decision to ace him after being charged with two counts of assault.
Goodwin and his legal team remain amazed and outraged at how a player with a clean record for 5 years can be kicked out for a first offence.
In 2008, we have seen not only several players sacked for discipline reasons but also the likes of Sonny Bill Williams walk out on a binding contract. What must be concerning for the players and NRL, is the fact that clubs can use ‘minor’ discipline breaches as the ideal chance to ‘boot out’ a player that might not be sitting nicely within the clubs plans.
As juniors emerge all the time and the style of the game changes, it seems clubs maybe playing the ‘discipline’ card to tear up contracts and restructure their team quickly and easily; reducing cost and disruption.
“I’m absolutely disappointed and devastated. There’s no way in the world I thought it would come to this,” Goodwin said.
“I can’t really say too much because I’m going to leave my legal team to deal with things now. I just don’t think I deserved to be sacked, especially given this was the first time I’ve been in trouble in five years at the Raiders.”
Goodwin, 23, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court last Thursday and was fined $1300 and placed on a one-year good behaviour bond.
After a one-hour hearing last Friday, the Canberra board voted to terminate Goodwin’s three-year contract for bringing the club into disrepute.
The incident Goodwin was involved in occurred outside the All Bar Nun nightclub in Canberra on the same July night when halfback Todd Carney was reported for misbehaviour inside the club.
The Sunday Telegraph understands Goodwin was defending Carney, who had his contract torn up by the Raiders in August for a host of alcohol-fuelled indiscretions. Goodwin’s agent Sam Ayoub, who fronted the Raiders board along with his client, labelled the decision “an absolute joke”.
“There’s little for me to say at the moment. We’ve immediately placed the matter in the hands of our solicitors to deal with it in the appropriate manner,” Ayoub said.
“In my mind it’s an absolute joke that a player is discriminated against in the way that Bronx has just because he’s a footballer and just because he’s Todd Carney’s best mate.”
It is believed the fact Goodwin lived with Carney in Canberra and remained close friends with him was a major issue for the board.
The emergence of rookies David Milne and Justin Carney may have counted against Goodwin, who was re-signed to a three-year, $600,000 deal following the departure of William Zillman to the Gold Coast.
The Raiders signed Dane Tilse in 2006 after he was sacked by Newcastle and Neville Costigan in the same year he was shown the door by the Broncos.
Both had contracts torn up for off-field incidents.
NRL chief executive David Gallop will examine the Goodwin case tomorrow.
go bronx the raiders deserve it they have had double standards for years.1 rule for 1 and 1 for the others. they only help who they want on and off the field. SHAME canberra raiders SHAME