It has been revealed that Gehamat Shibasaki broke a team alcohol ban and was out with Dolphins players before being axed for Round 27.
Shibasaki has been one of this season's good-news stories, heading to the Broncos on a train and trial deal before being a surprise selection in Michael Maguire's Round 1 side.
He has gone on to become a permanent fixture in the Broncos' side, was picked as a shock selection in Game 3 of the State of Origin series for Billy Slater's Queensland Maroons, and is likely to attract plenty of attention from November 1, given he is off-contract at the end of 2026.
But eyebrows were raised on Tuesday when he was axed from Brisbane's final-round game against the Melbourne Storm, with the Red Hill-based outfit simply stating there had been a "breach of team standards" which had been "dealt with internally".
That story has evolved during the week, and News Corp are now reporting it was not just that Shibasaki broke a team alcohol ban, but rather, he was out with Dolphins players on Sunday morning before arriving at training on Monday morning.
According to the publication, Shibasaki had drinks in Townsville, his hometown, after the Broncos defeated the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night, before flying back to Brisbane on Sunday, where he was invited out to a pub with family and friends.
It's then understood he was still at the pub when Dolphins players arrived following their high-scoring win over the Gold Coast Titans, which kept a slim chance of playing in the finals alive for the Redcliffe-based outfit.
The Dolphins are not accused of any wrongdoing and were behaving themselves, given this Sunday's clash against the Canberra Raiders could allow them to sneak into the finals if the Sydney Roosters can't find a way past the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday evening.
Shibasaki's stint at the pub, though, saw him arrive at training on Monday under the weather, and the events were quickly established, with the centre then dropped.
The centre's exceptional season is no guarantee of seeing him recalled to the side for the opening week of the finals, where it's up in the air whether the Broncos will travel for an elimination final or host a qualifying final at this stage.
That may depend on Deine Mariner and Jesse Arthars' performances this weekend, and whether the playing group want him back, given the team alcohol ban was imposed by the playing group as they attempt to snap a nearly two-decade-long premiership drought at Red Hill.
