Warriors coach Andrew McFadden has described the action of three players as unacceptable after they attended a concert in Auckland two nights before the NRL side were thumped by West Tigers.
Centres Konrad Hurrell and Dominique Peyroux, and injured winger Manu Vatuvei went on stage with American R&B performer Ginuwine last Friday and later posted about it on social media.
Less that 48 hours later, the Warriors, with Hurrell and Peyroux in their side, were mauled 50-16 by the Tigers in Sydney.
McFadden says he was extremely disappointed when he heard about the night out and the matter had been dealt with internally.
“I think that level of professionalism is unacceptable,” he said.
“We had an early flight the next day and one of things we preach in terms of our preparation is that we make sure we get enough sleep and hydration, and we eat properly.”
Asked if he might have stood Hurrell and Peyroux down if the injury-hit Warriors had more players on deck, McFadden said he didn’t want to over-react.
“I think on the seriousness scale, it’s only minor, but certainly it’s still unacceptable,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s something the rest of the group can learn from, but in terms of standing people down or fining them, I don’t think that’s the answer.”
Vatuvei also raised eyebrows when he tweeted on Sunday that he was heading to the movies, rather than watching the match against the Tigers.
McFadden admitted that it was “not a good look” and he intended having a word with Vatuvei.
“Timing is everything, isn’t it,” he said.
“If we’re winning, no one’s making comments, but we have to accept, the situation we’re in, we haven’t earned the right to be this flippant.”
The Warriors head into their season finale, away to Canterbury on Sunday, on a seven-match losing stretch and having missed out on the playoffs for a fourth successive year.