Phil Gould has weighed in on West Tigers players Daine Laurie and James Roberts’ late-night pokies session, saying “it’s a silly look”.
The pair attracted criticism after they were spotted playing the gaming machines at a pub in Newcastle until about 10pm on Saturday evening, the night before their 22-point loss to the Knights.
While they were not drinking, the optics aren’t great given what unfolded on the field the following day.
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Speaking on the Six Tackles with Gus podcast, Gould explained the activity was likely an innocent attempt to pass the time.
“Going into a place serving alcohol – a public place – they’ve got to be smarter than that, but I understand players wanting to get out of the hotel and not being stuck in a room,” Gould said.
“I don’t see it as a massive issue, I see it as an educational issue.”
Despite the problems that can be related to gambling, Gould did not believe the session compromised the players’ showing the next day, which has since been slammed following the disastrous loss.
“Not in any way, shape or form do I think it affected their performance the next day, but when you are losing and are not doing well, the media will pick up on anything.”
Gould said numerous players from different clubs go to the pokies to relax and spend time together when travelling, and that if the whole team went together, it probably wouldn’t be in the headlines.
When asked by podcast host, Mathew Thompson, whether members of the Melbourne Storm squad would play the pokies before a game, Gould replied: “I don’t know, but I’m saying 100 per cent if they’re not doing that they’re doing something else.
“I guarantee you this is not an uncommon situation. But what do we do? Lock them all up like greyhounds? Lock them all in a room?”
Thompson then called for Gould to caution players on the dangers of gambling.
Gould is the football boss at Canterbury, and assured NRL players are monitored for addiction and other mental health issues.
“We watch their money, we watch their spending, we watch their finances, we help try to manage it, we pick up on signs and everyone in the club is educated about welfare, we’re into mental health and welfare,” Gould said.
“There are little signs around when players have problems and they could be excessive use of alcohol, or they way they train, or the way they communicate with players, or all of a sudden they’re coming to get extra money because they say they’ve got to pay for this or pay for that when really they’re gambling it and losing it.
“We understand all that and they’re all educated on these sorts of things, but there are people that just find that (the pokies) relaxing too.
“I think it’s a little bit of a beat-up and I think had they won you wouldn’t have heard about this at all.”
Gould now predicts the players will be restricted to their hotel rooms from now on in response.
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