DAMIEN QUINN: WE'RE NO CHEATS

THE Aussie Six at the centre of the Visagate scandal today plead their innocence and insist they should not be branded cheats.

The Celtic Crusaders stars are being deported for breaking immigration laws.

Their Super League careers are finished and they have also been banned from returning to the UK for 10 years.

But one of the six, Damien Quinn, is adamant their punishment is far too heavy.

Speaking for the first time about the scandal that has rocked the sport, Quinn declared: "We thought we were allowed to play professional sport on our visas.

"We were not aware that we were doing anything wrong until we started getting investigated.

"Obviously, we breached some guidelines and it appears we are here illegally, but we did NOT do it knowingly. We are not cheats."

Quinn, skipper Jace van Dijk and full-back Tony Duggan, all joined the club when it formed in 2006 on holiday visas.

The following year centres Josh Hannay and Mark Dalle Court plus second-rower Darren Mapp arrived under the same system.

The six got working visas for 2008 and the current season but the UK Border Agency have now told them that they should not have played professional sport while on holiday visas.

The players have been told to get out of the country by September 7 and all six have had their contracts torn up by the Crusaders.

Quinn, the Welsh club's record points scorer and appearance record holder of 112 games, added: "We didn't expect anything as severe and extensive as this and I think the Border Agency are using us to make a big statement.

"We are just trying to earn a living playing footy and I'm sure there are worse people doing worse things than us.

"But I'm not going to lay the blame anywhere. It's just a misunderstanding of the guidelines about what we could do.

"When we first came over the club was new and neither the club nor any of us knew for sure what the protocol was."

The RFL have still to decide whether to take any action against Celtic, who yesterday lost 68-0 to Leeds, for fielding ineligible players.

But Quinn urged: "I would be disappointed to see the club get fined and we haven't got that many points for them to deduct!

"Although the players have been the main ones to get punished, the club have also had it hard because they've got to find six new players for next season."

Quinn and Duggan have now signed for Lezignan and will play in France next season where the visa regulations are not as strict.

The other four are expected to return to Australia.

Former teacher Quinn, 28, added: "I feel pretty hard done by because I've worked hard to get to Super League and I put a lot into the club and now an outside force has finished my Super League career.

"I also qualified to play for Wales this year and I was looking forward to that.The other disappointing thing is that we're not even being allowed to finish this season. The club has had a very tough first year in Super League. But hopefully if they survive this, they can get through the next 100 years."

Dalle Court, 27, said: "Having to pack up your life in the space of two weeks is hard.

Deported

"To see on paper that you're being deported doesn't look good, doesn't sound good and there's nothing good about it at all.

"It's a big deal and the other boys are devastated as well. It's pretty sad because we've formed some bonds with team-mates but we've had no real opportunity to say goodbye."

The Queenslander has spent three years with Celtic, but it was his application for a holiday visa in 2006 that was insufficient to play for the club.

He said: "When I first heard about the investigation I didn't think anything of it as I didn't think we had done anything wrong.

"Then I got a call on Tuesday and saw the papers. They said: 'As of this date you are no longer able to be employed in this country'."

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