The presence of Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton won’t be a distraction for the Indigenous All Stars camp this week, according to the coach and a senior player.
Mitchell and Wighton were both arrested and charged by ACT Police following a scuffle outside a Canberra nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The pair spent the night in a police cell, but were released in time to make it to Sydney and fly with the Indigenous team to New Zealand, where Saturday’s All Stars game will be played on Rotorua.
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Both players were approached by 9News for comment after landing in New Zealand, but were relatively tight-lipped.
Mitchell offered a “no comment” when asked about the Canberra incident, while Wighton insisted the pair were still close friends despite the wrestle.
Cody Walker – who has captained the Indigenous All Stars team in the past – offered some insight into how his two teammates were handling the situation.
“They’re good, they are excited to be around the boys and we’re excited to have them in the team,” Walker said.
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“They are a big part of our team, so looking forward to getting them into camp.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a distraction. Obviously we can’t comment too much on what’s gone on. We’ll get around them, give them a big cuddle.”
NRL star Jack Wighton back in Sydney after alleged incident involving fellow player Latrell Mitchell
Indigenous coach Ronald Griffiths also shut down any suggestion Mitchell and Wighton would be an unwanted distraction in camp.
“It’s not (a distraction). We are focused on our culture, we are focused on our game at the end of the week,” Griffiths said.
“Our job is to send our players back better men than when they arrived. That’s not to say they’re not really great men already, but our job is to build them up.
“Whenever you face adversity or something in the media like that, when people are looking for a story… it’s always going to take its toll on you.
“They are young men and they are elite athletes, and I have no doubt the pressure they face all the time, it builds up.
“We’ve got some really strong cultural advisers in our camp, some of our elders, so our job is to build them up spiritually and mentally, make them strong.”
Griffiths and Mitchell also brushed off concerns of a shoulder injury for the superstar, after video of his arrest suggested he had been hurt when four police officers pinned him down.
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