Titans stand down pair over drug charges

Gold Coast are again an NRL club in crisis after standing down Jamie Dowling and Beau Falloon after they were both charged with supplying cocaine.

The Gold Coast's NRL future is once again up in the air after the latest off-field scandal to rock the embattled club.

Still without a major sponsor just weeks from the start of the new season, the Titans are now also without a home after two players were arrested and charged with supplying cocaine.

Hooker Beau Falloon, the club's NRL player of the year, and utility back Jamie Dowling have both been stood down by the club after the pair were both charged following an operation by Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission.

The pair, along with rugby union star Karmichael Hunt and an unnamed woman, were all given notices to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on March 5 on Thursday.

Titans chief executive Graham Annesley could not confirm whether any more of the club's players were caught up in the scandal.

He did however confirm the club had made the decision to move out of their training base at the Southport School on the Gold Coast following the revelations.

He said no new training base had been decided upon but the decision had to be made.

"The board and management of the club acknowledges that under these circumstances it is not appropriate for the team's training facilities to be based in an education facility among impressionable young people," Annesley said.

"As such we will make immediate plans to relocate to an alternate venue.

"We unreservedly apologise to the school, our members, sponsors, corporate partners, and other stakeholders who have been let down or impacted by these unexpected and unacceptable developments."

Falloon and Dowling's dramas come after a summer where the club has already been forced to sack young utility Paul Carter after he was charged with a second drink driving offence in six months.

NSW and Australia representative Greg Bird has also been in trouble, fined and stripped of the club's co-captaincy after being caught urinating in public following his wedding celebrations in Byron Bay.

Youngster James Roberts was also fined after he was arrested following a boozy night out although the charges against him were later dropped.

Annesley admitted his frustration following Friday's revelations, saying it was like he was banging his head against a brick wall.

"I feel sorry for people in this club who keep getting battered around by these incidents," he told reporters.

"You can understand the fans, they must be shell shocked by these things that keep happening.

"I'm sure there are better days ahead. This is a black day for the club."


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world