Lussick in limbo as Wolfpack go third month without pay
DARCY LUSSICK has spoken out about the mental stress and strain being put on Toronto Wolfpack’s unpaid players.
The vast majority of the squad posted about the issue on social media on Monday evening, writing: “Third month of no pay for the players, staff and families, #forgotten #mentalhealth.”
And the GMB union yesterday called for governing bodies to cover the players’ unpaid wages. Lussick, 31, revealed he is on the verge of being thrown out of his rented home. The prop tweeted: “Technically stranded in
UK. No visa so I can’t work, no help getting home to Australia as promised. About to be evicted.”
He also appeared on the Big Sports Breakfast show in Sydney to highlight the mental toll the situation is putting on the players and their families. He said: “I’m okay – I don’t have any kids but a lot of people in our team have family with kids and mortgages. “You can tell that some of them aren’t okay at the moment, with the stress this is putting on them and their families. “What’s it going to take for the RFL, Super League or Toronto to realise that what’s been happening isn’t good for people’s mental health?”
The RFL responded with a detailed statement yesterday saying that they are aware of the posts and are offering mental health support. They also stressed each club is a separate business responsible for its own operation, while accepting that the impact of Covid-19 had been “exceptional” in Toronto’s case.
The break-up of the Wolfpack’s 2020 squad has continued, with half-back Josh Mccrone playing lower grade rugby league in Australia for the rest of the year. Sonny Bill Williams (left) and Ricky Leutele have joined Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm respectively in the NRL, Gareth O’brien has signed for Castleford and Bodene Thompson is set to link up with Leeds.
The GMB says that the RFL and Super League’s backing must extend to financial support in what they have labelled a “crisis”.
Head rep Garreth Carvell said: are still waiting to hear from the regarding a potential takeover.
“I am sure those talks are sensitive but that does not alter the fact that players and their families are left facing an ever increasing desperate struggle to survive.
“Players throughout the world are watching this space because any of them could have fallen victim to this debacle.
“Our players have no choice but to trust the governing bodies to make sure this kind of collapse cannot happen without consequence and they rely on the rules that exist to protect them.
“Those rules and that governance has failed spectacularly. It is time the RFL and Super League stepped up to the plate and took some responsibility for this crisis.
“It was their job to see that due diligence was carried out when they allowed the club into Super League and they did not.
“They should, in my opinion, now pay out the remainder of the contracts to the players up until November and call in their ‘personal guarantee’ from owner David Argyle to recover the money.”
“We club