Bromwich and Proctor out of World Cup

Kiwis league coach David Kidwell has confirmed the big decision to omit captain Jesse Bromwich and team-mate Kevin Proctor from his World Cup squad after their Canberra drugs scandal.

Kidwell and New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Alex Hayton confirmed the hefty penalty at a press conference in Sydney yesterday.

‘‘We have values to uphold, they have broken my trust, their teammates’ trust and the trust of the New Zealand public,’’ Kidwell said. ‘‘In our Te Iwi Kiwi house no one is bigger than the team.’’

Hayton said he was fully supportive of the stance taken by Kidwell.

‘‘The NZRL 100 percent backs the decision not to consider these two men,’’ he said. ‘‘We must uphold the values of the game. ‘‘NZRL and the Kiwis will continue to work hard to ensure the people of New Zealand are proud to support our teams both on and off the field.’’

Kidwell decided that the integrity of the Kiwis jersey was more important than how detrimental it would be to go into a World Cup campaign without Bromwich and Proctor.

‘‘I had to look at the integrity of the jersey, the values we’re trying to build here and they broke that trust,’’ Kidwell said.

‘‘These two are good men who clearly made bad decision and this was out of character, but there is a bigger picture here.’’

Police charges haven’t been ruled out.

ACT police said yesterday it was too early to say if charges would be laid, after the pair were allegedly filmed on CCTV cameras snorting a white substance.

‘‘The investigation is ongoing with ACT Policing reviewing all available information and evidence. At this stage ACT Policing is unable to provide a specific timeframe in relation to this investigation,’’ it said in a statement.

Bromwich’s absence will be a huge blow to the Kiwis’ chances in the World Cup. He is widely considered the best prop in the world.

However, his omission does open the door for Ben Matulino, who is back playing for the Warriors again after a serious knee injury, while the Roosters’ Jared Waerea-hargreaves will also come back into contention.

Greg Eastwood or Bodene Thompson could take Proctor’s spot, while there is the powerful Nelson Asofa-solomona to consider.

The World Cup, to be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia from October 27 till December 2, is still some time away but the decision to axe two of the Kiwis’ key forwards for the big tournament shows how seriously the incident is viewed. Kidwell made Bromwich his captain, replacing Simon Mannering, after he was appointed coach last October.

Bromwich and Proctor admitted in separate statements they were too drunk to remember if they took any illegal drugs early on Saturday after their heavy loss to the Kangaroos.

Bromwich has been heavily sanctioned by his Melbourne Storm club, and both men stepped down from their respective captaincy roles with the Kiwis and Gold Coast Titans on Sunday.

Canberra man Adrian Mark Crowther, 38, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday after allegedly selling cocaine to the two Kiwis players.

Bromwich stood down as Kiwis captain and from the Storm’s leadership group which includes Kangaroos skipper Cameron Smith.

Bromwich will miss the club’s next two NRL games against Gold Coast and South Sydney, will donate his A$20,000 test fee to charity and be required to undergo counselling.

‘‘A two-week suspension for Jesse Bromwich is going to have a significant impact on the team. He’s stood down from his leadership role. A playing fee for a test match is $20,000 ... they’re hefty penalties,’’ said Storm chief executive David Donaghy.

‘‘Jesse’s acknowledged that he’s put himself at risk, he’s put the club at risk, he’s done the wrong thing.’’

Proctor will learn his club’s punishment later this week when he faces the Titans board, but has already stepped down as cocaptain and from playing duties.

‘‘The board may decide any further sanctions that may be imposed as a result of a breach of the NRL code of conduct,’’ said Titans chief executive Graham Annesley.