New Warriors recruit ordered to dry out

The Warriors will demand Brett Seymour - sacked by two NRL clubs for alcohol-related offences - leave the temptations of Sydney and move to Auckland immediately to dry out, even though he's banned from playing until 2010.

The Warriors expect to complete the signing of the former Cronulla and Brisbane halfback early this week, and the NRL has approved their plans to immediately enrol him on an intensive alcohol rehabilitation programme. Seymour has told the club he is ready to change his ways.

He was de-registered for the 2009 season after his sacking by the Sharks for two drunken incidents, but the Warriors have negotiated a contract that includes key behaviour clauses designed to ensure the NRL allow him to play next year.

Although the Warriors wouldn't offer details, it's understood one involves limiting his alcohol intake to near zero. The club has also accepted it will be open to a larger-than-usual fine if Seymour offends again.

NRL chief executive David Gallop told the Sunday Star-Times that moving Seymour to Auckland immediately was the Warriors' idea, but added: "I think it is a sensible approach. It obviously gives them a few months to put him in some programmes to get him on the right track. The club and the player clearly need to look at how he has managed alcohol in the past and formal programmes are needed to address that issue."

Gallop said the league wouldn't insist on a zero-alcohol clause in Seymour's deal, saying he'd leave the Warriors to produce the best alcohol management plan.

Brisbane sacked Seymour in 2006 after a string of offences and Cronulla punted him in July after he was thrown out of a nightclub.

But Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said: "He is not going to be coming to the club to behave in the same way. He would be coming to behave in the manner we expect of all of our players and we believe he can do that. He wants to turn his life and his career around."

The Warriors are taking a financial risk on Seymour, with Gallop confirming their liability for a large fine if he transgresses but he said that "subject to the right conditions" he would agree to Seymour's registration for 2010.

Intriguingly, it appears the Warriors see Seymour, initially, as a standoff, and would like Stacey Jones to re-sign for another year to play alongside him at halfback. Scurrah said only that Jones' future was a "separate discussion".

The Warriors have made much of a long-standing "no dickheads" policy which saw Sione Faumuina and Misi Taulapapa sacked for alcohol-related offences.

But Scurrah said the club wasn't changing its philosophy because Seymour hadn't committed offences at the Warriors and the club had pursued other players (Greg Eastwood and Michael Crocker) with poor records. "We will manage him ... we expect every player to come over here and behave. He is certainly going to have to come here and work very hard to ensure he doesn't [misbehave]."

Seymour wouldn't comment, saying the deal wasn't yet done.

Crucially, the club canvassed senior players, who are prepared to give him a chance. He is a former Brisbane team-mate of Brent Tate, Joel Moon and Denan Kemp and was in Queensland training squads with Jacob Lillyman and Micheal Luck, who said: "I would say I know him fairly well and in my opinion, he's a great guy. I've never ever seen him hint at anything you read about in the papers.

"If he wants to make an effort to turn himself around and clean up his act, there is no better place to do it from than here. There are no distractions. If he did end up coming over, it would be great."

Captain Steve Price said: "He's got to earn it [respect] from the players. If he does stuff up, it's going to cost the club. He does need help, but if you can give him that help, if anywhere is going to transform him, it'll be here."

And hooker Ian Henderson added: "We have belief in the coaching staff. Whoever they bring in, they must know they have got the ability ...to change."

- © Fairfax NZ News