WAYWARD STAR JAMES O’Connor has been released from the final year of his contract with the Queensland Reds.
The former Wallabies star had joined the Reds on a two-year deal ahead of the 2015 Super Rugby season, but according to a club statement, O’Connor has been dealing with a number of “personal matters”.
“I came to the Reds with the intention of playing my best football in my home state and looking for a fresh start, but I’ve struggled with some personal matters,” O’Connor said in a Reds statement.
“The Reds are a wonderful team and organisation and I’m very disappointed I wasn’t able to achieve my full potential for my home state.
“I wish the Reds all the best for 2016 and beyond.”
Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael said it was in the best interests of both parties that O’Connor part ways with the Reds.
It paves the way for the versatile 25-year-old back to return to Toulon, where he spent six months before joining the Reds earlier this year.
Reports last June said O’Connor had agreed with billionaire Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal to return to the French club before he had even left for Queensland.
“James has experienced a difficult time personally since returning to Australia and we’ve been aware of that for some time,” Carmichael said.
“Therefore, James will return to Europe where he feels the spotlight on him is less intense.
“In our discussions, we’ve agreed that should James return to Australia to play rugby in the future, the Reds will have the first and last rights to secure his services.”
O’Connor played just 13 games in a injury-ravaged year with the Reds in a failed bid to make the Wallabies’ World Cup squad where he was overlooked by coach Michael Cheika in the initial tournament squad.
The FAI would love him..
Sounds a nice lad, but it says a lot about the average footballer that it is so noteworthy
I gave up my seat on the LUAS today. Where’s my bleedin’ article?
It’s not even newsworthy though. Complete non-story.
Some footballers are creeps, many aren’t. They’re just people. In life the silent majority are the ones we most resemble but find boring as media figures. The rest are heroes or villains, whose merits or demerits are exaggerated, mainly because we like it that way. Someone like Aaron Ramsey or David Meyler being a nice bloke isn’t a news story. Someone famous being a tool in a nightclub is.
Louis C K has a routine about giving his first class seat to a soldier. He only thought about doing it, he didn’t actually do it. Despite this he felt very proud of himself for just thinking about it.
Does this not say more about Liverpool as a club that would book them different seats
Wasn’t Ryanair so?
I’m sure the young staff member escorted him to orgasmville later on though.
Liverpool propaganda again.
w@nker giving up his seat
True he’s after digging a hole for himself there as it will be expected every week now..
Blah blah she must have been good looking , only one thing on his mind !
Why not get two first class tickets.
Following in roys footsteps