League: No alcohol ban, NRL players say

Coaching great Phil Gould says players should sacrifice alcohol while under contract. Photo / Supplied

NRL players have flatly rejected calls for a total alcohol ban in the wake of rugby league's latest controversy while officials admit they could not enforce such a policy.

Former NSW Origin coach Phil Gould said on Monday it was a "necessary sacrifice" for players to swear off alcohol for the term of their NRL contracts.

His comments came as premiers Manly were engulfed in controversy with star fullback Brett Stewart facing allegations of sexual assault and teammate Anthony Watmough slapping a sponsor at the club's launch party on Friday night.

Gould told Fairfax newspapers players "needed to be saved from themselves" but NRL stars were strongly against any such ban on Monday and agreed that responsibility fell mainly with the individuals involved.

Returning Parramatta winger Eric Grothe, no stranger to controversy himself, said there was no chance he would sign a contract that restricted him drinking.

"No, I like having a beer after a game," Grothe said.

"I think if you're an idiot, you're an idiot.

"If you are going to drink and start fights and that, that's you and you shouldn't drink ... it comes down to the individual."

Grothe's Eels teammate Brett Finch, when quizzed on the issue by a 30-year-old television reporter, snapped: "How old are you? I'm 27 so, are you old enough to make decisions about alcohol?

"Because I think I'm old enough and mature enough so it's an individual responsibility for everyone in society."

Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith agreed a blanket ban would be going too far.

"Having it in your contract that you're not allowed to drink beer is over the top," the Test and Queensland hooker said.

"I can understand where (Gould) is coming from because of the problems that we've had recently with alcohol.

"But at the end of the day it comes down to each club and the individual.

"Everyone who plays in the NRL are men, they're not little babies."

Manly chief executive Grant Mayer admitted his club had thought about potential alcohol bans since Friday's alcohol-fuelled season launch at the Manly Wharf Hotel, but said he thought it would be too hard to enforce.

However he did not rule out imposing alcohol bans on certain players after admitting the level of alcohol drinking by some players had been "unacceptable" at the function.

Mayer said the Sea Eagles controversy should serve as a reminder to all NRL players of their responsibilities and labelled his players' actions a "slap in the face" to the work the NRL had been doing in recent years to kerb the problem.

"This is not isolated to Manly or any club, it's an issue that the game as a group has got to address and I keep coming back to the point - it's about the individuals involved," Mayer said.

"We've got to make sure that we keep on reinforcing basic behaviour and I think (NRL chief executive) David Gallop has worked tirelessly over the last few years to ensure that players understand their responsibility.

"Obviously it's a slap in the face when players obviously drink too much at a club function."

Gallop said the NRL would not support a total ban of alcohol, rather continue concentrate on getting the message through to players about responsible drinking.

"I understand that situations like this can lead to that kind of suggestion but we don't support blanket bans of alcohol," Gallop said.

"The vast majority of our players enjoy alcohol responsibly and that's what we need to continue to promote.

"Binge drinking is a problem in the community and we are certainly not immune from it."

- AAP