STAR PLAYER LEAVES CLUB
THE North Queensland Cowboys have lost a star preseason recruit after parting ways with Nene Macdonald, who has been charged with driving on a disqualified licence.
Macdonald, 25, had been under police investigation for more than a fortnight after a Toyota Corolla leased in his name was found dumped on a narrow Magnetic Island street in the early hours of June 20.
Police confirmed the 25year-old was issued a notice to appear in relation to disqualified driving and was expected to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court later this month.
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman would not say why or when the licence was disqualified.
Macdonald, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Round 5 clash against the Melbourne Storm, allegedly hired the car from Thrifty rentals in February.
The club yesterday announced it had released Macdonald less than a year into his playing contract.
The Cowboys said the release was by mutual agreement, with the club, Macdonald and his management deciding the winger needed time away from the game.
General manager of football Peter Parr said the Magnetic Island crash played a part in the decision but was not the only “sole discussion point”.
“Obviously, that was an incident that was unfortunate and we addressed that with him, but it played a part but it wasn’t the sole factor in the discussions,” he said.
The NRL Integrity Unit is no longer looking into the incident as Macdonald is no longer registered as a player.
It follows the departure of disgraced NRL star Ben Barba who was booted from the club earlier this year after an incident at the Ville Casino.
Parr said it was disappointing both season recruits – Barba and now Macdonald were no longer at the club.
“We were confident going into the season that both of those guys would provide value to the team,” he said.
He defended the club’s recruitment strategy and player behaviour.
“It’s disappointing the way that both have ended up, but Nene needs some assistance now and you don’t have a crystal ball for some of these things,” he said.
“Recruitment is not an exact science. But we will reflect and see if there’s any things we could do there.”
Former State of Origin legend Trevor Gillmeister believes the Cowboys finals’ hopes have been torpedoed by the latest off-field setback.
“I think they’re done for the year,” Gillmeister said.