A former Wigan Warriors rugby league star and his Canberra Raiders team-mate are facing disciplinary action after the pair were embroiled in a bizarre late-night altercation in Las Vegas that involved an inflatable baseball bat.
Morgan Smithies, who is from Halifax and spent four years at Wigan, reportedly came to blows with Hudson Young after one of the players was left without a room at the Hilton Hotel in Resorts World following an error with the check-in system.
Security at the hotel had actually temporarily evicted the pair from the hotel amid fears that one of the players was carrying a baseball bat. It later turned out to be an inflatable object.
According to reports in Australia, one of the players did not have an allocated room after returning from a night out and had asked to share a bed with his team-mate. The request was rejected, prompting the disagreement and subsequent scuffle.
Canberra are scheduled to play the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and have called a press conference for Tuesday, when the two players will both be forced to explain what happened.
“I have spoken to the players who are very embarrassed,” said Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. “The behaviour was unacceptable. The club will deal with this strongly.”
The players are not expected to be suspended from Sunday’s match but are facing disciplinary sanction. Rugby League Las Vegas is an annual event designed to showcase the sport to an American audience. The first edition of the event was held last year and involved only teams from Australasia’s National Rugby League.
Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves from the Super League will play this year, as well as the England Lionesses against the Australia Jillaroos in the Women’s Ashes.
