Following the news that captain Greg Inglis was charged with drink driving and speeding on Monday afternoon, the NRL has banned him from playing in the two Test matches against New Zealand and Tonga. The incident happened just hours after Inglis had been named Kangaroos captain, in what has got to be the quickest time it has taken a newly appointed national captain of any sport to have called to step down.
Inglis apologizes for his arrest
He has apologized for the incident, saying: “I am sincerely apologetic. I hope we can get this sorted and move on from this. As a player in this community, it’s not good enough. This is a lesson everyone should take out of this: if you’re not right to drive, have a Plan B. Once again, I am very sorry. I have full support from the club here at South Sydney.”
Boyd Cordner named a captain for next two games
Boyd Cordner has been named as his replacement as captain for the upcoming two matches and it is still unclear at this point whether Inglis will continue in his role as captain. Inglis has refused to step down but admits that the decision lies in the hands of the selectors. He reflected on how he has played in the NRL for 13 years and has never had a criminal charge against him and insisted that he did not know that alcohol would still be in his system the afternoon after the night he had been drinking.
Laurie Daley gives his thoughts
Selector Laurie Daley has already given his thoughts on the situation and believes that this has to change things, in terms of the captaincy. He said, “I don’t think you can have the Australian captain going DUI.”