Josh Hodgson has come to the aid of teammate (or former teammate) George Williams after the latter has endured a barrage of criticism online.
Hodgson told the Daily Telegraph: “From an outside (looking) in I see how much s*** George is copping online.
“But from my side of things and I know from everyone at the club’s side of things because we spoke about it this morning, we all love George to death and we have known since his missus fell pregnant that he has been struggling for a long time to get settled and keep his missus settled.
“But he busts his arse every day for us and when you see all these things about him f***ing turning his back on his team and all that, it f***ing hurts.
“It’s like watching your mate getting kicked in the street and just standing by watching. I feel like you’ve got to say something to tell people what a good lad he is.
“Not once did he kick stones or make a fuss or say that he didn’t want to do x, y or z. Obviously this week about training he couldn’t come in. But, mate, we have all had them days when you have got dramas going on and you are a bit down in the dumps and there are times when you need a bit of a day off.
“That is certainly not a normal thing for George to do. The picture that is being painted is just not the picture of what George is and what he is about and what a good f***ing club kind of player he is.
“And Stick (coach Ricky Stuart) only spoke in the meeting this morning, saying he loves George and that … he wouldn’t be saying that if George was a dickhead.”
The Canberra hooker also claimed that the players “don’t understand” the club’s decision.
“They just don’t understand. From me, as a playing group, we just don’t understand how we can go and say, ‘mate you can’t go at the end of the year’, but all of a sudden you can go now.
“I still don’t know what the explanation is. Obviously they have to make a decision. We have a season to get on with and all that, maybe that was the reason. Maybe they just wanted to get it done and dusted and move on. I don’t know.
“But my reaching out to you was to just square up some of the stuff about George turning his back on us. That is the last type of person George is. He is the type of kid who you would friggin’ go to war for. He is just a legend of a bloke. And I am sure if you ask anyone at the club they will tell you he is a legend of a bloke.
“I have been around a long time in a few teams and I have seen many blokes who want out who just turn up kicking stones and just tick the boxes just to get paid and he certainly don’t do that mate.
“To see him painted in such a way and see him dragged through the mud a little bit does hurt when he is one of your good mates and especially when I have been a big advocate for him to come to this place from England … to see it go this way and to see him get painted in a different light to what the kid actually is hurts.
“I think the division is coming from what is being perceived. What is being perceived is that George asked for a release right now and then he got it and he left.”
