What the hell were you thinking Gould unsure if Elliott can avoid axe at Bulldogs

Phil Gould insists he’s not sure if Adam Elliott will be spared the axe at the Bulldogs and revealed his fears for where the player would have ended up in the early hours of the morning if he had not been kicked out of a Gold Coast restaurant following a toilet tryst with NRLW player Millie Boyle.

Elliott is fighting to save his NRL career after being stood down by the club, a sentiment Bulldogs general manager Gould didn’t hide when he spoke about leaving the back-rower in Canterbury’s Gold Coast hub to protect his mental health.

The NRL integrity unit on Wednesday was still compiling its findings into the incident, which will then be handed to the Bulldogs for consideration.

As Elliott’s teammates went in to bat for the besieged star on Wednesday, Gould spoke on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast about his conversation with the 26-year-old.

It’s the third time Elliott has been embroiled in off-field issues involving alcohol following the Mad Monday episode in 2018 and an incident with ex-teammate Michael Lichaa earlier this year when he was caught making out with Lichaa’s fiancee at a party hosted by the couple.

While Boyle told News Corp she only had a “party pash” with long-time friend Elliott after following him into a men’s bathroom shortly before 11pm, the issue is threatening to end Elliott’s time at Belmore.

Adam Elliott is on thin ice at the Bulldogs.

“In isolation, sometimes they’re not major issues,” Gould said. “But they accumulate over time and sponsors and members and fans and, as I say, staff ... everyone starts to get worn down by it and tired by it. And when it’s the same culprits all the time, that’s when they start to get intolerant of it to be honest.

“In Adam’s case, and what I tried to explain to Adam, while you think this might not be a major issue, it actually is because it allows the media to regurgitate all that stuff. And that’s apart from what the hell were you thinking anyway and why did you put yourself and get yourself into this position?

“Every incident he’s ever been involved with revolved around alcohol. It was the first time he’s had a drink on the weekend for seven months. He’s no problem until there’s alcohol is involved. And the first time alcohol is involved, one is too many and 100 is not enough. There’s no handbrake involved. If this incident hasn’t occurred, where would he have been at 2 or 3 in the morning?”

The Bulldogs are approaching the most crucial pre-season in the club’s recent history, having made a number of high-profile signings, including Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Tevita Pangai jnr and Matt Dufty, as they try to move on from a dismal campaign, in which they have collected the wooden spoon and won just two games.

“He’s no problem until there’s alcohol is involved. And the first time alcohol is involved, one is too many and 100 is not enough.”

Adam Elliott

“As I say, this will resolve itself in one way or another, his relationship with the Bulldogs, in the next week or so I suppose, but there are other personal issues that are going to go on beyond that outside of football and we’ve got to be mindful of the mental health and the welfare of the player also,” Gould said.

Elliott won’t play in the club’s final two games of the season against the Sea Eagles and Tigers, paving the way for Matt Doorey and Joe Stimson to be the starting edge back-rowers trying to shut down Tom Trbojevic on Sunday.

The Sea Eagles walloped a depleted Bulldogs 66-0 the last time the two sides met with the Bulldogs missing five players who were in quarantine after breaching an NRL biosecurity directive to not attend nightspots in the Waverley area at the start of Sydney’s COVID outbreak.

Canterbury No.1 Nick Meaney said Elliott had made massive strides this year before his latest mistake, the first time he had consumed alcohol since the season began.

“He’s had his incidents off the field, but he’s been very remorseful and he’s really put his foot down the last seven months,” Meaney said. “We’ve seen a massive change in Adam.

“He’s a little bit disappointed at the start [of the week], but all the boys are getting around him and trying to stay positive. We’ve had meetings in-house with the playing group. [Captain] Jacko [Josh Jackson] has spoken to everyone.”

Adam Pengilly is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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