NRL distances itself from Broncos’ decision to invite Ben Roberts-Smith into dressing sheds

Ben Roberts-Smith’s surprise appearance in the Brisbane Broncos dressing sheds on Sunday afternoon is expected to be a one-off.

The NRL on Monday distanced itself from the Broncos’ decision to allow Roberts-Smith into their inner sanctum following the loss to St George Illawarra.

The former soldier has been charged with multiple war crimes over the alleged murders of unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners.

He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for each charge. The former SAS corporal has rejected the charges, saying, “I categorically deny all of these allegations”.

Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed Roberts-Smith had accompanied his daughters to the Broncos’ game against St George Illawarra after they were invited to attend by the spouse of a club staff member who knows the girls through school connections.

Roberts-Smith, the same sources confirmed, is friends with Broncos welfare officer Adam Walsh, a former SAS soldier who completed training under Roberts-Smith.

The Broncos refused to comment on the matter, but the sources confirmed Roberts-Smith had not been a guest of the club, did not visit the club’s chairman’s lounge during the game, and that most of the players had no idea he was in their inner sanctum.

The sources added that Roberts-Smith would not be banned from attending future games, but stressed Sunday’s was an impromptu visit and that he had not been invited by the club.

Senior figures at the NRL were unaware Roberts-Smith had been invited into the Broncos’ sheds, but later said it was a matter for the club who they wanted to invite to their dressing room.

When spotted by The Courier Mail in the sheds, Roberts-Smith said on Sunday: “The Broncos invited my daughters today because of all the things they have been through, and we were very grateful.”

Roberts-Smith has been accused of kicking an Afghan civilian off a cliff, and directing a subordinate to execute a man in September 2012. He is also alleged to have executed a prisoner with a prosthetic leg during an Easter Sunday mission in Afghanistan in 2009.

Roberts-Smith’s case has been set down for a brief status mention, an administrative court hearing, on Thursday.

On the field, the Broncos were stunned by the Dragons, who had not won in 295 days. Returning prop Payne Haas was clearly upset by the effort, and told ABC Sport after the game: “We’re all talk at the moment. We keep saying we’re going to do all these important things on the field, but to be honest, we’re BS-ing each other.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos’ hopes of defending their title have been dealt a blow with representative forward Pat Carrigan facing up to a month on the sidelines with a syndesmosis injury that will keep him out of Origin II.

Fellow Maroon Gehamat Shibasaki is out for up to six weeks because of a grade-two MCL injury.