Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson greet each other warmly. Source: Gregg Porteous / DailyTelegraph
AUSTRALIAN Test prop David Shillington has spoken of the dangers of allowing ego driven youngsters to "think they are bigger than the club" - a malaise that he believes destroyed Canberra's 2013 campaign.
In a candid insight into his thoughts about the difficult generational change that now confronts NRL clubs, the former Raiders skipper said increased media and public exposure had created a new breed of superstars who need to be "handled properly".
"I think that empowers them to feel like they are bigger than the team sometimes - that's a bad thing," he said.
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"It depends on how the coach handles you, how the club handles you
"Sometimes you create the devil in players."
Shillington resigned from Canberra's leadership group mid-season because he felt former coach Dave Furner was too light on errant young stars such as Blake Ferguson.
Ferguson has since been sacked after going AWOL during the competition's final month, which also saw Furner axed and the team plummet from finals reckoning on the back of six straight losses.
Breaking his silence on the numerous woes that brought Canberra unstuck, Shillington admitted the team finished the season a divided unit both on and off the field.
But his biggest concern - across the code - was the trend of weaker clubs being seduced into compromising their culture to appease young superstars.
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"I think more and more players are thinking they are bigger than the club, bigger than the team," Shillington continued.
"If a player mucks up and you don't drop him from the team, or have serious ramifications and consequences because you are worried that they might leave the club, or you are worried that they might not win the game next week, or you've got a contract negotiation and they might flick it and walk away, that's when you create the devil in players and make them think they are bigger than the club.
"I think we saw that (at Canberra) this year with a few of the younger players coming through.
"The increased exposure in the media ... they are full-on superstars, they are bigger than they used to be."
While Shillington is presumably referring to Ferguson and another sacked Raider, Josh Dugan, he exempted Josh Papalii and Anthony Milford, both of whom were disciplined for breaching the team's drinking policy prior to their round 25 clash against New Zealand Warriors.
"When the care factor is down, you are not respecting your team mates or you club," the 30-year-old prop said.
"You do the wrong thing on the field or not turn up for each other on the field. It happens.
"The season like we had wears you out and drags you down. We saw something like that happen when Josh Papalii and Anthony Milford ended up drinking.
"They are not bad young fellas. It's an effect of how it dragged everyone down."
Shillington pointed to strong clubs such as Melbourne, Souths and the Roosters as standard-bearers for culture.
"No one is bigger than the team in those clubs. If someone stuffs up on the field or off the field, no matter who you are, you get dropped to the bench or you're out of the side.
"We saw Souths stand down George Burgess through ill-discipline, through to Mick Crocker, the captain of the club, because he was down on form.
"I think that's the way of the future — a strong stance on things. When it comes to keeping a team in line, when it comes to keeping a team in line you have to be like that."
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