Roos star insists bad boys should cop boot

NORTH Melbourne star Todd Goldstein says AFL players who transgress while holidaying in Queensland next month deserve to be booted out of the state.

The Queensland government said last night it was powerless to evict players as the AFL, led by Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson, feverishly works on behavioural guidelines for the dozens of footballers who have not booked their flights home.

The political stakes are high in Queensland with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has saved the AFL season, up for election on October 31, one week after the Gabba Grand Final.

A series of AFL players behaving badly as guests in Queensland could derail Palaszczuk’s campaign. The polls are tight, with Labour a narrow $1.80 favourite.

“We’re very lucky that the Queensland government has allowed us to get this season up,” Goldstein said on Wednesday.

“If you do have an act that is not up to standard then I think that looking to send someone home, or something along those lines, would be a just (punishment).

“We do have a responsibility to act and uphold ourselves in a particular way.”

The AFL Players’ Association rejected the suggestion players could be forced to pay a behavioural bond to help limit any post-season shenanigans. It was floated that players could be forced to put down a sum of money, like a rental agreement, in case there were any post-season dramas.

But the AFLPA has not received any such proposal and insisted a bond-style agreement would not be enforced.

The players’ hub code of conduct has already been finalised by the AFLPA and the league.

News Corp revealed the AFL has written to clubs, banning the traditional boozy Mad Monday festivities. However, there remains some confusion over what constitutes a Mad Monday celebration.

There is a belief some players will want to have a few quiet drinks with their teammates after the season finishes.

St Kilda star Dan Hannebery said players deserved the opportunity to let their hair down responsibly.

“We’ve been under strict protocols for a long, long time now as players that have been above and beyond Victoria and then I was in stage-four lockdown for a period of time, which wasn’t fun,” he said.