Thursday 4 April 2019 16:46, UK
In the week that Wigan Warriors prop Gabe Hamlin was charged with a UK anti-doping violation, Sky Sports' Brian Carney offers his take on the situation at the club...
Speaking exclusively on Sky Sports News, Carney condemned the behaviour of the Warriors' playing group - a squad which has been involved its far share of off-field incidents already this year.
Hamlin, who is in the second year of a two-year contract with the Super League champions, has flown back to his native Australia having been provisionally suspended by the Rugby Football League (RFL).
"There's a very good man in charge at the Wigan Warriors, a very good friend of mine who I played with, Kris Radlinski, and there are players at that club that are disgracing themselves and letting the club and the supporters down," Carney said on Wednesday.
"There are people paying money, spending their wages, to go and support them every week.
"We've had Zak Hardaker in pre-season on a drink-driving charge, we've had Craig Mullen in recent weeks on a drink-driving charge and now we've got a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) Agency violation by Gabe Hamlin.
"I'll say this and address this to the players: Who do you think you are?
"You're not the club. The people that go every week are the club. You are disgracing the club.
"You're letting yourselves down, you're letting your fellow players down, you're letting the supporters down, you're letting Kris Radlinski down and you're letting Ian Lenagan (Wigan chairman) down.
"They are absolutely disgraceful, some of these players.
"A lot of water is going to flow under the bridge until we find out exactly what Gabe Hamlin has done, but so far it's been nothing but bad news after bad news coming from the Wigan Warriors.
"The playing group needs to buck-up their ideas and realise that the game is bigger than them. They are disgracing themselves and disgracing the game."
A statement released by Wigan on Tuesday read: "Wigan Warriors will look to support Gabriel (Hamlin) throughout this process until its conclusion and thereafter.
"Gabriel has requested to be closer to his family during this difficult time and we fully support this request."
Was Carney surprised the club have chosen to back Hamlin?
"These press releases that you get now, they're not worth the paper they're written on," he added on Sky Sports News.
"They're nonsense, propaganda, just fluff. The real story will emerge. From what we know so far, he's had a UKAD violation and that could mean a number of different things.
"The club standing by him? They've stood by people in the past but don't read anything into that statement."
The Warriors currently sit eighth in the Super League table, having won three but lost five of their opening eight fixtures.
Wigan next travel to face Castleford Tigers on Friday, live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm.
