NEWCASTLE football director Peter Parr has defended a handful of the club's players who have travelled to Bali during bye week, after they copped a remarkable broadside from outspoken commentator Phil Gould.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Knights are midway through a 16-day hiatus between games after last Friday's 43-12 loss to Parramatta. Their next fixture is at home against Gold Coast on Sunday week.
Before the season kicked off, Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien identified this as the ideal opportunity for players to recharge their batteries and rest any niggling injuries.
Players were told they could take eight days off, including two weekends, although some have stayed in Newcastle and continued to train, including skipper Kalyn Ponga.
But news that several headed overseas has prompted criticism from Gould, who as well as being a high-profile pundit with Channel Nine is also employed by Canterbury-Bankstown as their general manager of football.
"For me the benefit of the bye was not getting busted on the weekend, was not going out. It gave you two weeks to get ready for your next game instead of one week," Gould said on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast
"It just wouldn't have happened in my day. For me, it was two weeks to get ready for your next game, and you shouldn't lose if you had the two weeks to get ready."
Gould added: "I remember when I was a player and we had byes, [Bulldogs coach] Warren Ryan used to flog us. It put steel in your team, it put steel in your attitude.
"You are paid to train and play, that's what you are paid to do. Find something else to do, find another job if you don't want this job."
Parr said he did not want to get into a "slanging match" with Gould but felt the criticism was unjustified.
"Gus is entitled to his opinion, but he doesn't have a say about what happens at this club," Parr told the Newcastle Herald.
"Our players have done nothing wrong.
"They're actually following the advice of their coach. Adam sat them down when the draw first came out, and explained we had three byes, the first of which created a 16-day break between games.
"That's pretty much unheard of in the NRL.
"So before the season even kicked off, he encouraged players to use that break to get away, freshen up and spend time with their families.
"But he also made it clear that during the other two byes, they'll be training."
O'Brien is not the first Knights coach to encourage his players to take a mini-holiday mid-season.
A number of players headed overseas in bye weeks during Wayne Bennett's tenure at the club between 2012 and 2014.
"I've been involved at different times with other teams that have done the same thing," Parr said. "Craig Bellamy used to do the same thing at Melbourne."
MORE IN SPORT:
- Jets whizz-kid Archie Goodwin targets July return after back surgery
- How Knights coach Ronald Griffiths expects Tamika Upton to evolve in NRLW
- Edgeworth and Olympic progress in Australia Cup preliminaries
- The Newcastle players picked in NSW Country rugby league side
- Two-way promotion-relegation system on the table for NNSW Football
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
