St George Illawarra guardant Josh McGuire says the Dragons players thought they would get distant with a enactment astatine Paul Vaughan's Shellharbour spot that breached COVID-19 restrictions.
McGuire was 1 of 13 players caught up successful the drama, that saw the NRL manus retired $305,000 worthy of fines and 1 lucifer bans to a twelve players. Vaughan was suspended for 8 weeks and subsequently sacked by the club.
Facing the media for the archetypal clip since the incident, McGuire said the players didn't expect the enactment to origin specified drama.
"We can't beryllium present and outcry foul - we enactment ourselves into a concern astatine the clip [but] we didn't deliberation it would escalate to the magnitude it has," McGuire said.
"We're precise atrocious and remorseful. It was a clump of blokes who made an honorable anserine mistake and conscionable didn't think.
"We did recognize [the rules] and can't beryllium present and accidental we didn't understand. We were successful Shellharbour, a agelong mode distant from everything that was happening. The determination going to the barbecue everyone made, and astatine the extremity of the time we didn't deliberation it would beryllium a play and we wouldn't get caught."
The accomplishment of constabulary to analyse prompted varying reactions from the players, McGuire said. Corey Norman famously near his wallet and car with personalised fig plates behind, portion Jack de Belin is alleged to person been hiding nether a bed.
"I stood there," McGuire said. "Some of the boys were scared. A fewer of america stood determination and talked to police. A fewer boys didn't privation to bent around. A fewer of the boys conscionable stayed wherever they were and a fewer of the guys came retired and saw the police.
"It was a mediocre determination by us. It's hard. We're inactive rather upset and disappointed. I'm shattered I brought this nine into this situation."
McGuire, who lone joined the nine this play aft stints with Brisbane and North Queensland, said coach Anthony Griffin was understandably furious astatine the events that took place, having warned the players 24 hours earlier not to observe a triumph implicit New Zealand with a get-together.
"He didn't accidental thing astir not drinking, helium conscionable said don't 'stuff up' oregon 'make mistakes', and we evidently did," McGuire explained.
"It's a mediocre determination we each person to unrecorded with present and person to wage the terms for.
"It was astir apt 1 of the harder telephone calls I've had to marque to Hook [Griffin].
"He was rather ropeable. I person to gain backmost that spot and that respect from the group. I'm not shying distant from it. I made a mediocre decision."
Teammate Blake Lawrie besides spoke to the media and expressed remorse for his actions. Like McGuire, helium wasn't expecting the BBQ to origin immoderate trouble.
"It was a get unneurotic with a mates of the boys who made a decision," Lawrie said. "We didn't deliberation the repercussions were going to beryllium this big. We are genuinely atrocious what has happened to our wider community, nine and teammates.
"I thought it was harmless. We were successful our ain bubble. We can't bash thing astir what we've done. I can't hold to beryllium to our teammates chiefly that we are sorry."
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