Western Force may withdraw interest in James O'Connor pending outcome of ARU investig

[jargan83]

Will it will cost him $22000 in match fees
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In terms of the rest of his contract probably only a small loss

[SNOB]

Suisse contract should keep him in tabs and beers for a while.
Must say I am very disappointed. I haven't seen any interviews yet but read somewhere that JOC said he was "out of order".
Is this grounds for TWF to reject him out of hand? I know their are some that should see him hung, drawn and quartered. But maybe this is the wake up call that is needed.
QC and KB have had chance after chance for far more serious and anti social reasons and have walked away with at most a slap on the back of the hand.
Maybe JOC will realise that to be an elite sportsman you are expected to act the part from now on!
I would have and still would love to see him back here but I think the media have decided his fate and not necessarily the people that employ or may have employed him.
Were ever he goes it will be a loss to Au rugby.
You stupid dick!

[Hansie]

Where there is smoke there is fire. Sayonara JOC, let's talk in 3 years time.

[Alison]

Coming down on one wing and a prayer:

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...920-2u54l.html

Could not agree more.

[GIGS20]

There's a lot in that article that's hard to argue Al, but I don't think the solution is overseas. If he goes to France he will just be given a bucketload of cash and carte blanche to continue being a dickhead. Sending him to France is giving up on him.

Now maybe his rugby skills don't justify the effort and cost of fixing his brain issues but if they do (and I think once he sorts out the petulant rock star two year old bit they will) I think he needs to actually do some hard yards. Maybe he needs to be signed by a Sydney club, to do the hard yards, getting the shit beat out of him every week for little more than laborer money with nobody apologizing for him.

Maybe Force should offer him EPS and a one bedroom flat in Cooloongup. He'll get the arrogant pretty boy knocked off him there!

[Alison]

Hahaha!

Yeah I agree he needs to put more effort into his day job rather than just rocking up and simply relying on the talent he was born with.

I hate to keep harking back to it, but Jonny Wilkinson is only the player he is today because he backed up his natural born talent with hours and hours of sheer hard work, including regularly spending Christmas Day practising his kicking! That is too far the other way I know, but you get the point!

If JOC was seen to be doing that rather than pissing his career up the wall, he would rise exponentially in people's estimation.

Don't know if you checked it, but the poll at the end of that article had had 6100 votes, 85% of them saying he should not be playing against the ABs in Oct either. He has a lot to do to rebuild the respect people once had for him.

Ironically, I remember seeing a photo on Twitter about 3+ years ago where he was playing Monopoly with a group of mates while on hol in Margs. I remarked to my sister how good it was to see such a young superstar doing something as innocent as playing Monopoly instead of going out boozing! How wrong I was proved to be! Lol

[GIGS20]

I didn't take the poll, but would have voted no if I had.

I still want to see the kid fixed rather than trashed, but am running out of ideas of how that might happen.

[Alison]

I agree - I don't want us to lose the talent or him to live out the rest of his life like this.

Maybe being over here on the edge of the world with Foley and Hodgo sitting on his head will do the trick. But it'll only work if he himself is ready to make the changes. Like I've said before, I just don't think he is at that point. I don't think he sees what we all see.

[stejwill]

If there is anyone from the Force reading this:
DO
NOT
GIVE
HIM
A
CONTRACT
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[GAFFA]

If there is anyone from the Force reading this:
DO
GIVE
HIM
A
CONTRACT
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Fixed
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[.X.]

I think my feelings are pretty clear about JOC and whether or not we should sign him up.

It was interesting to note that the investigation is "on going" according to the ARU and that there was an issue of privacy.

Here is MY speculation.

I bet that the ARU have contacted the Australian Federal Police for information about the incident, and the AFP have refused to respond. I don't believe that the AFP will ever comment about or identify any incident that they are called to attend to.

So - whilst it can be argued that its the Gate staff of the airline against JOC about his state of inebriation, I still think that at the end of the day - JOC is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. and should be stood down.

[zed]

He wouldn't have been stood down, if it was a simple case of a seat allocation cock up & a heated discussion. He's rocked up p*ssed and got all agro with the check-in staff "don't you know who I am!" yadda yadda yadda... I still think the Force should sign him, sort of.

[James]

Maybe they should make it a 1 year contract with a one strike and your out policy. If he is serious about changing, he will take it and earn himself a new contract at the end of it. If he isn't serious, he will leave.

Unfortunately, we probably would win more games with JO'C. There weren't many games where we got smashed. JO'C would be better than the goal kickers we have and he does create tries. I remember Will Tupou falling over at fullback last season and giving the Rebels a try. We wouldn't see that from O'Connor.

[stejwill]

Fixed
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He's poison. We've had enough players like him in the past. The Force seems to have attracted them like magnets. Perhaps it's the desperation evident on our faces. We have to be strong and build a real culture to be proud of. He's not a part of it IMO unless he grows up and stops behaving like a spoiled dick.
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[PeterM]

I for one don't believe this allegation that he was under the influence

How many of us have been refused another round of drinks or barred entry from a night spot for being 'too drunk' when in all honesty you haven't had anywhere near enough units to get drunk!