Briers to make amends on the pitch (From This Is Cheshire)

Warrington Wolves boss Tony Smith sends message to Lee Briers after 'misdemeanour'

12:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Sport By Christopher Terris Taylor

WARRINGTON Wolves boss Tony Smith is expecting Lee Briers to make up for his ‘disappointing’ breach of discipline by delivering some excellent displays on the pitch.

The 33-year-old half back was dropped from the squad for the Super League opener against Hull FC after a ‘breach of the players’ game preparation agreement’, a punishment that Briers offered himself after admitting in a team meeting to his wrongdoing.

Smith is confident that having held his hands up and served his punishment, Briers can re-focus on doing his best for the team.

“It was a disappointment as it always is with disciplinary issues,” said Smith.

“But we all make mistakes and we make errors in our decisions throughout life – just as long as people understand their misdemeanours and do not shirk the responsibility of their errors.

“He held his hand up and that enables him to be available for this week, whether that means he gets picked or not is up to the form of the people that got first shot at it.”

Having paid the price when watching Wolves grab a last-gasp draw at the KC Stadium, Smith believes missing out will inspire Warrington’s playmaking stalwart to atone for the mistake on the field.

“You would hope that he goes out there and shows his mates that he is sorry for his breach,” he said.

“The only way for him to do that is to play good rugby league.”

Smith refused to divulge the specifics of Briers’ misdemeanour.

He said: “We don’t have to let everyone know all the gory details.

“We seem to all have this bit of voyeurism in us and we always want to know all the gory details of every single mistake people make.

“Lee’s was a fairly minor misdemeanour, in terms of the breach.

“It certainly wasn’t in breach of any laws. It was simply a breach of the preparation standards that the players set for themselves.”