Ben Te’o’s South Sydney teammates say assault allegations levelled against the NRL player haven’t impacted their preparations for Monday’s clash with Cronulla, but admit they want to see the issue resolved quickly.
Te’o is at the centre of an NRL investigation after a Brisbane woman claimed he punched her in the face last month, fracturing her eye socket.
Te’o strongly denies the allegations – a point he reportedly stressed during a four-hour interview with a former NSW police officer and an independent investigator on Thursday.
Rabbitohs enforcer Sam Burgess said he hadn’t really spoken about the issue with Te’o, who won’t be stood down by the table-topping Rabbitohs for the match.
“There’s been a lot of talk about things but Ben and the club are just going through the due processes,” he told reporters on Friday.
“But, as a team, we’re just trying to stay focused on what’s ahead of us and prepare for the game.
“… Ben’s going through the processes he needs to with the club and the NRL and hopefully it will be resolved pretty soon.”
Five-eighth John Sutton echoed his teammates’ sentiments, saying little attention had been paid to the off-field drama.
“Hopefully the club and Ben can get that stuff sorted out and we can focus on the game,” Sutton said.
“He’s going through a bit of a difficult time at the moment and hopefully him and the club can get all that stuff sorted and we can just get on with playing footy.”
While Queensland coach Mal Meninga has said Te’o would not be excluded from State of Origin selection until the NRL investigation was completed, there is some doubt over whether he will earn a spot in the team announced on Monday.
Fellow Origin hopeful Ben Lowe said he wasn’t sure whether this week’s scandal would have any bearing.
“At the end of the day, the Origin selectors will be selecting a team that’s best fit for the Origin series and I think they’ll be doing the right job in getting the team sorted,” Lowe said.