Fittler gone

Under fire Roosters coach Brad Fittler will be out of a job next year according to reports in the Sydney press today.

The Daily Telegraph says the Bondi Junction club are close to securing the services of Newcastle’s Brian Smith as Fittler’s replacement.

The rumours have yet to be confirmed or denied by either club, but the pressure has been building on Fittler for several months.

The Roosters currently sit last in the NRL table after managing just four wins so far this season and have suffered a string of off-field controversies in the current campaign.

Young hooker Jake Friend has been involved in two incidents relating to drink driving and an alledged assault, while Nate Myles has had his knuckles wrapped after he defacated in a hotel corridor whilst drunk..

Fittler has had his own indiscretions subject to widespread scrutinty in the media – in July the former test five-eighth fined himself $10,000 after a drunken incident in a hotel in Townsville.

There have also been reports of player unrest in the Roosters camp and a fiery confrontation between Fittler and then skipper Braith Anasta.